Google Maps recieves Android update with fast access to street view
Google recently rolled out a new update to its Maps application giving users easier access to street views. With Maps version 9.13.0, Google makes it easier than ever to see what a location looks like.
The update is live in the Play Store now and will get pushed out to Apple’s App store in the coming days. With the update, Google lets users check a street view of any location with just one simple click. By placing a thumbnail preview of the location in the bottom left corner of the display, it’s very accessible. Perhaps you want to see what a nearby restaurant looks like or plan out where to run or jog. With the update, it’s no longer buried in the settings. In addition, the street view thumbnail will hover over your map while your’e trying to find your destination therefore making it far less of a hassle. You can download the update at the link below.
Come comment on this article: Google Maps recieves Android update with fast access to street view
More details on BlackBerry’s ‘Venice’ smartphone leaks in a short video
Remember BlackBerry’s Experience Suite announced back at MWC 2015? According to a tweet from EvanBlass, BlackBerry’s Productivity Suite and bits from Blackberry 10 will be coming to the Venice smartphone.
The Experience Suite was split into three sections consisting of BlackBerry Productivity Suite, BlackBerry Communication Suite and BlackBerry Security Suite. Earlier this week we told you Blackberry will be bringing some of its apps over to Android such as calendar, contacts, docs and more. Now we have a leaked video containing more details about what BlackBerry has in store. The company’s goal is to differentiate itself from other Android manufacturers as well as make BlackBerry users feel right at home. No word has been mentioned on when Blackberry plans to release the handset. More details about the Productivity Suite can be seen below in the leaked video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Via: Crackberry
Come comment on this article: More details on BlackBerry’s ‘Venice’ smartphone leaks in a short video
The ‘Uncharted’ PS4 collection isn’t just a quick-and-dirty port
There’s no doubt that Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is an attempt to rekindle interest in the franchise (and score some extra sales) ahead of Uncharted 4‘s release next year. However, that doesn’t mean that Bluepoint Games’ PlayStation 4 port of the first three Uncharted games is a simple cash-in. The team at Digital Foundry has conducted a shot-by-shot comparison of the anthology’s trailer with the respective moments in the PS3 games, and it’s clear that there are many, many little visual upgrades (beyond just the jumps to 1080p and 60 frames per second) that add up to a lot. More detailed objects are everywhere, lighting is more natural and cinematic depth-of-field effects occasionally pop up — just take a look at Nathan and Sully in the PS4 edition (pictured at left) versus its PS3 counterpart (right). There are even elements that weren’t there at all before. The games treat fire and dust differently than they did in the past, and you’ll see new details like low-hanging clouds.
Not everything is a step forward. There’s a noticeable lack of motion blur, which might rob some action-heavy scenes of their thunder. Even so, it’s evident that The Nathan Drake Collection is as much about creating a consistent Uncharted experience as anything else. Bluepoint is sprucing everything up so that you won’t feel like you’re stepping into a time machine when you play the older titles. Yes, the series won’t be exactly how you remembered it, but it beats having to settle for upscaled versions of action-adventures that are starting to show their age.
Filed under:
Gaming
Via:
VG24/7
Source:
Eurogamer, Digital Foundry (YouTube)
Tags: bluepointgames, gaming, naughtydog, playstation, ps3, ps4, uncharted, unchartedthenathandrakecollection, video, videogames
Google Maps update v1.93: add businesses, Street View thumbnails and more
Have you noticed a new Google Maps update hit your device? It happens to come with some nifty new features. This upgrade takes the Search Giant’s mapping app to version 9.13. It comes with a couple main improvements, as well as your typical bug fixes, so let’s dig into all the details.
The coolest addition is the ability to see a Street View thumb showcasing your chosen location. This will allow users to know how their destination looks, before even hitting the road or getting directions. But what if the place you are going to isn’t on Google Maps? Now you can fix that yourself!
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Google Maps now features a shortcut for adding missing restaurants, stores, bars, coffee shops and more. The function is easily accessible from the sidebar, so there’s no way to miss it. Now you can help the Maps community and add new businesses others may love to go to!
There’s also another neat improvement Google failed to mention in the official change log. Under Navigation Settings there is now an option to “play a test sound”. This will allow you to test volume and other settings before hitting the road. You don’t want to be messing with your phone while driving, do you?
The update is hitting the Google Play Store now, but be patient if you don’t see it showing up yet. Remember these app upgrades are usually rolled out periodically. Also, don’t forget to hit the comments section and tell us what you think about the new alterations. Will you be taking advantage of these features?
Lumia Camera works on non-Microsoft phones, with a catch
Microsoft vowed earlier this year that Lumia Camera would become the default camera app on all Windows 10 phones, but you won’t have to wait for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade to give it a shot. The company has released a version of Lumia Camera that should run on any Windows Phone 8.1 device, not just those with Microsoft or Nokia badges. However, there’s a big gotcha. As Windows Central warns, you won’t get Rich Capture features like high dynamic range — unfortunately, those are still the domain of recent Lumia handsets. You may see crashing, too, which hints that this wasn’t quite ready for prime time. Even so, you’re getting Windows Phone’s best-known photography app on your device of choice. It could be worth putting up with a few bugs to get early access.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Via:
Windows Phone Apps (translated), Windows Central
Source:
Microsoft Store
Tags: lumia, lumiacamera, microsoft, mobilepostcross, photography, smartphone, windows10, windowsphone
Google wants to help you post food photos on Maps
If you can’t help but take photos of your food before you chow down, you’ll be glad to hear that Google might be ready to fuel your habit. Months after shutting down its experimental food shot app Tablescape, Google is testing a Maps feature that would notify you when a photo was taken at a restaurant and give you a chance to attach it to a Maps location in “just two taps.” The trick would not only help you get back to eating, but speed up your restaurant reviews — a big help to Google, which no doubt wants the foodie pics that usually go straight to Instagram and Twitter. Only higher-level Map Maker guides can test the feature at the moment, but we’d expect it to spread quickly if the early trials prove successful.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source:
Android Police
Tags: food, google, googlemaps, internet, maps, mobilepostcross, photography, tablescape
Motorola DROID Maxx 2 and Turbo 2 rumors – huge batteries, unbreakable displays and more
It was a bummer to hear the Moto X Play wasn’t making it to the USA, but we kept our eyes open just in case we heard anything. After all, Motorola has a very tight relationship with Verizon, and they are always re-branding products just to be able to keep US exclusives with Big Red. Many of us had the suspicion that this would be the case with the Moto X Play, but now we have rumors to support this hypothesis (at least to a certain extent).
The guys at Phandroid have managed to dig up some details on a couple devices. This information is said to be confirmed by “several sources who have proven to be reliable in the past”. Of course, the team can’t go into too much detail about the origins of these murmurs, so we would take all of this with a grain of salt. With that said, let’s talk about these mysterious upcoming Verizon smartphones!
Motorola DROID Maxx 2
So it seems Verizon could be going for a couple DROID handsets this year. This would be the mid-range version… and yes, it’s also believed to be a re-named version of the Moto X Play.
The sources couldn’t say much about the internals. Regardless we can expect the phone to be quite similar to the original Moto X Play. The phone is pretty awesome with its Snapdragon 615 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 5.5-inch 1080p display and 21 MP camera. But likely the coolest feature is that this phone sports a 3,630 mAh battery; we sure hope that last bit doesn’t change with the launch!
The price should also be similar to that of the Moto X Play, possibly making the DROID Maxx 2 one of the best deals on Verizon’s network at only about $300. The phone is said to be launching “later this year”, so get your credit cards ready.
Motorola DROID Turbo 2
Verizon is not conforming with keeping a country-wide exclusive on the Moto X Play – they are also releasing a Motorola DROID Turbo 2 (or at least that is what these sources claim). This phone would be higher-end and come with a price tag ranging around the $600 mark.
As mentioned above, specific details on specs are scarce, but sources claim the phone will have an “unbreakable display”. Now, that’s a strong statement. A later update from Phandroid confirms this could be partly due to the POLED panel the DROID Turbo 2 will be carrying.
Wrapping up
True? False? We don’t really know, but the guys at Phandroid seem to be very positive about these rumors. We will definitely keep our eyes wide open for any details. Are you guys looking to get any of these?
Also, the Motorola DROID Turbo line is known for its outstanding battery life. If the mid-range DROID Maxx 2 will have a 3,630 mAh battery, how large will the one in the Turbo 2 be? Just curious!
Moto X Play reportedly coming to Verizon as the Droid Maxx 2
When Motorola unveiled the Moto X Play, it left Americans hanging. Would that combination of a big display, mid-tier specs and a huge battery ever reach the US? If you ask Phandroid, the answer is yes — although it might not show up in the form you’d like. The site’s sources claim that the Play will show up on Verizon later this year as the Droid Maxx 2, and that it’ll cost the same $300 contract-free as the regular model would if it were officially available in the US. There’s no clue as to whether or not it’ll be significantly different, although an earlier HellomotoHK leak pointed to Droid-specific backing. Sadly, the apparent leak suggests that you’ll still have to go to an importer (or wait for Verizon’s exclusive to end, if it ever does) to get the Play in its unaltered form.
And what about the non-Pure Edition of the Moto X Style? That’s reportedly coming Stateside through Verizon as well, although it definitely wouldn’t be the exact same handset. The tipsters believe that it’ll launch as the Droid Turbo 2, and that its signature feature will be an “unbreakable” plastic OLED display that should better survive bumps and drops. You might also get a metal chassis with built-in wireless charging, if a previous HellomotoHK scoop was showing this device. The Turbo 2 would be much more expensive than the Style at $600 up front, but you’d also be getting considerably more phone for your money.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon, Lenovo
Via:
The Verge
Source:
Phandroid
Tags: android, droidmaxx, droidmaxx2, droidturbo2, lenovo, mobilepostcross, motorola, motoxplay, motoxstyle, smartphone, verizon
OnePlus 2 kernel source is now available on GitHub
The OnePlus 2 can still only be purchased through the company’s invite system. Today OnePlus has released the official OnePlus 2 kernel source on GitHub.
Earlier today the company’s co-founder, Carl Pei announced the kernel’s availability via his Twitter account. This means developers around the world are now open to create their own custom ROM’s for the flagship smartphone. The flagship comes pre-loaded with the company’s Oxygen OS based on Android 5.1. Late last week, the company pushed an update to its Oxygen OS to bring stability improvements and a patch for the StageFright virus. With the new kernel, users will soon be able to load whatever ROM they so desire on their OnePlus 2 smartphone when made available for the flagship. This will give your flagship a whole new look, but may come at a cost such as bugs and battery drain issues. That’s why it’s recommended not to attempt installing a new ROM unless you have previous experience. Still, we can’t wait to see what developers will create with the kernel.
Source: Carl Pei (Twitter)
Via TheTecholic
Come comment on this article: OnePlus 2 kernel source is now available on GitHub
Huawei Mate S listed on Oppomart, reveals full specifications including a Force Touch sensor
The Huawei Mate S is scheduled to release at the IFA 2015 conference in Berlin this September. However, the handset seems to already be available on Oppomart’s online store. The listing includes all of the handset’s specifications and pricing information. Most noticeably, it includes Force Touch technology.
The Huawei Mate S is an upcoming high-end Android smartphone with a large 5.7-inch FHD display, a powerful Kirin 935 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 20MP rear-facing camera and a crisp 8MP front-facing camera. The handset includes a 4100mAh battery and has Android 5.1 is pre-installed with the company’s Emotion 3.1 running on top of it. Dimensions show a handset measuring 7.9mm thick, weighing in at a hefty 185 grams. One of the features that stood out to us was the integrated Force Touch technology build directly into the handsets screen. We are expecting the iPhone 6s to come with the familiar technology this fall. Could we be looking at a new standard feature for high-end smartphones?
Force Touch could bring a number of new features to the handset’s user experience. It allows the smartphone to tell the difference between a hard tap or a light tap and can be used to carry out a number of different actions. The technology will offer a wide range of features and it will be interesting to see how manufactures incorporate this into their user experience.
The company aims to be one of the first to include Force Touch technology built into their smartphones. The Huawei Mate S seems to do exactly that. According to the listing, the handset will have a $599 initial price tag.
Source: Oppomart
Come comment on this article: Huawei Mate S listed on Oppomart, reveals full specifications including a Force Touch sensor
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