Here is what the redesigned Google Play Store is going to look like
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There has been a rumour floating around that a redesigned Google Play Store is going to drop on us at some point in the future, and we might have gotten our first look at it today. This is all thanks to Googler Kirill Grouchnikov who is moving from the Play Store team to some other team within Google, and was somehow allowed (or not allowed) to post up sneak peaks of the redesigned Google Play Store for all of us to enjoy. Check them all out below.
As you can see, the new layout is a lot more picturesque, providing a space at the top to show featured apps, and it appears that the subtitles of the store are now going to be scrollable as opposed to always needing to hit to “More” button to see more options. Another really cool thing that it looks like Google is adding in the near future is RTL (right-to-left) support which will allow the Play Store to be shipped with Arabic translations – a huge deal for our Arabic reading and speaking friends. No word on when this redesigned Google Play Store could drop, but it’s looking pretty ready to us, so let’s hope it is released soon.
What do you think about the redesigned Google Play Store? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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OnePlus 2 reservation list to close as invites ramp up
Reservations for the OnePlus 2 have apparently hit a rather astonishing 5 million sign-ups since the handset was launched earlier in the year. Although as I’m sure those sitting in the waiting list will know, the small smartphone company isn’t hitting those sort of production numbers, but the company wants to start making a dent in these reservations.
Given the numbers involved and the already long wait times, OnePlus has decided to close access to its reservation list for new entries next week. Potential customers who are already in the queue will then receive their invite based on where they are in the list chronologically. Furthermore, reservation numbers will be locked in place after October 22nd as well.
In case you weren’t aware, those already in the list are able to jump up a few places by sharing invites with other people. Of course, this has the added side effecting of pushing others back places too, so we can probably expect a mad rush of sharing in the last few days.
As the reservation list will close in one weeks’ time, those looking to get their hands on a OnePlus 2 invite after that date will have to rely on the old fashion way of receiving one from friends or asking online for one. Customers who purchase their new smartphone through oneplus.net will receive shareable invites in the near future, so hopefully availability won’t be an issue.
OnePlus also says that it will be giving away thousands of invites through its social media channels, so those might be worth keeping an eye on too.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a USB Type-C port
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USB Type-C is going to be the new standard of USB at some point in the future, but it’s taking some time for manufacturers to adopt the new standard in their new devices. Of course, it will never take off until everyone is on-board, but according to SamMobile, one of the biggest players, Samsung, is going to be on-board for its next flagship. According to the report, the Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a USB Type-C port which should greatly boost the case for USB Type-C given how many of these will sell whenever they are released.
In case you aren’t aware of the benefits of USB Type-C, the most obvious and probably most useful difference to the microUSB adapter is that a USB Type-C adapter is reversible. Yes, with a USB Type-C adapter, the days of figuring out which way a charger is supposed to go in will be over. The other, less obvious, benefits are that USB Type-C connections allow for faster data transfer than even USB 3.0, our current fastest, common method of transferring data, and charging over Type-C is faster too. It’s pretty much a win-win for all, so let’s hope this rumour is true.
What do you think about the fact Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a USB Type-C port? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: SamMobile
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Intel throws its tiny Curie module in an Arduino board
The low-power Curie from Intel helps developers quickly prototype a device with turn-key access to Bluetooth, a six-axis sensor with gyroscope and accelerometer and the 32-bit SOC Quark micro-controller. It’s main focus has been the wearable market and since its introduction at CES 2015, it’s has been used in sports bras, creepy robot spiders and to measure wicked-cool bike tricks. Now it’s being included in a new Arduino board. The Arduino 101 (internationally it’ll be called, Genuino 101) is the first widely available development board for the tiny chip. Priced at a reasonable $30 and using the same open-source platform as the rest of the Arduino line, the 101 is targeted at students and makers looking to add some connectivity to a project.
Source: Intel
Yahoo Mail app ditches passwords, gets redesign and new features
“We’re basically going to kill passwords,” said Fernando Delgado of Yahoo.
And verily it was so. Yahoo has unveiled their new Mail update, and passwords are nowhere to be seen. Instead, Yahoo uses push notifications to vet your access rather than having you type out a password. Yahoo claims that the use of device-specific Account Keys is actually more secure than the traditional practice of using a single, account-wide password. Delgado says that the username/password combo that has become our standard is overly complex and doesn’t provide enough protection for the user given this complexity.
When a user attempts to login to a Yahoo email account on a computer, rather than have to enter their password, they simply enter their username and a push notification is sent to their phone. If they accept the account access attempt on their phone, then they will be able to proceed forward into their mailbox.
Yahoo is calling it simpler, but this writer tends to think that using two devices instead of one is a little bit of a step in the not-simpler direction.
Yahoo is planning on rolling out this Account Key service to their Mail services initially, but they’re expecting to extend this to their other services as well in the coming months.
The new user verification system isn’t the only new perk Yahoo is packing into Mail’s update. They’re also introducing the ability to manage multiple email accounts, and the mobile app will now let users swipe left or right to tag or delete emails much like Gmail has been doing. User images will be pulled from a variety of social media resources like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flickr to give recipients a better mental image of who they are talking to. They’ve also revamped their search functionality.
So what do you think? Is going password free a taste of the future, or is this a step in the wrong direction? Let us know in the comments!
2K Games releases NBA 2K16 Mobile, costs $8 with IAPs
Can’t wait to dive head-first into the NBA season? Get an early start with 2K Games’ NBA 2K16. The console version released last Thursday, but earlier today, 2K announced that the mobile version of this year’s addition to their hit basketball series was now in app stores.
This is a different animal than the company’s previous release this year, MyNBA2K16, which is a digital collectible card game that let you build a team of players and earn rewards. MyNBA2K16 is meant to be played alongside console games, with several interactive features between them, but NBA 2K16 Mobile is its own stand-alone basketball game that gives you a lot of the experience of the full console game right in your pocket.
NBA 2K16 features a career mode as well as Season modes and a new gametype, Blacktop, that puts your players in a more casual, outdoor setting. The game advertises itself to have “improved graphics and game performance,” and they’ve redesigned the (previously very clumsy) controls to be more intuitive.
Much of the game will be familiar to long-time fans of the franchise. There’s an in-game store where you can purchase different aesthetic perks like new courts and equipment for your players. The soundtrack is new, and it’s selected by rapper DJ Khaled and the producers DJ Premier and DJ Mustard. The game will also feature some new Euroleague teams.
Here’s a list of NBA 2K16 Features, as described by their website:
- Full MyCAREER, Blacktop, and Season modes.
- Improved graphics and game performance
- New controls for smoother mobile gameplay
- Earn and enjoy more Virtual Currency
- Euroleague teams now available
- NBA 2K Store offers equipment, courts, VC, updated content, and much more.
If you’re ready to get your game on, head over to the Google Play Store and pick up your copy. It’s running for $7.99, which is pretty steep for a mobile game with in-game purchases.
What are your thoughts? NBA 2K worth the price tag? Are you going to be downloading it? Let us know in the comments!
Updated Motorola email app appears on Google Play
Motorola’s stock email app has appeared over at the Google Play store, along with a selection of improvements, bug fixes and little feature tweaks to improve the app’s functionality.
However, before we get too excited, the app isn’t compatible with non-Motorola handsets, at least not yet. In fact, it doesn’t appear to work with all Moto phones either and you will need to be updated to Android 5.0 or later. But there is a point to all this. Moving its app over to the Google Play should allow for more frequent updates, rather than tying improvements to the app with other, larger system wide updates.
Latest Moto products:
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Here’s a list of all the changes included in this latest app version:
- Disable sync while roaming
- Progressive search capability for emails
- Attach pictures from Camera in composer
- Notifications for attachment download failures/cancellations
- New option “Select All” for email operations
- Customise peak time sync schedule
- New option to choose number of emails to sync for POP account
- New safe way of communicating with Google Gmail server using OAuth 2.0
- Bug fixes and stability improvements.
This isn’t the first app from Motorola to make its way to Google Play. The company also has its Camera, Gallery, FM Radio, and Active Display applications, to name just a few, up on the store. I have to wonder if Motorola may eventually take inspiration from HTC and Samsung, and open up at least some of its apps to the wider world of Android phones.
Once the email app has been updated the old way one last time, Motorola customers should be able to check out Google Play for all the latest updates. I’ll leave the link below.
Variety: Google Play kills VR apps with ‘cardboard’ in their names
Google Play has jettisoned a handful of VR apps that use the word “cardboard” in their names, according to Variety. Some of the affected applications are Cardboard VNC, Cardboard Catapult and Cardboard Theater. VNC’s developer plans to rename it to “VNC Client for Cardboard,” while Theater’s maker has already changed his to “VR Theater for Cardboard.” While they still contain the word, the new names make it clearer that they’re apps intended for use with Mountain View’s inexpensive VR viewer.
The original Google Cardboard was launched during the company’s I/O event in 2014. It’s open source and anybody can make their own version, which is why Mountain View started the “Works with Cardboard” program earlier this year. The project ensures VR apps are optimized for each specific viewer. Google introduced a larger version back in May, and the DIY headset now also works with Street View. We reached out to Google to clarify why those apps were removed from the Play Store, and we’ll update you once we hear back.
Source: Variety
Netflix premieres its first feature film: ‘Beasts of No Nation’
With its online-first strategy, Netflix has changed the way people watch with TV shows — now it wants to do the same with movies. Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation has hit the streaming service today, marking an important milestone in the movie industry by becoming one of the first feature films to debut in theaters and online at the same time. Based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation is a war drama that tells the story of a 14-year-old child soldier who loses his family and is recruited to fight under the command of a guerilla warlord played by Idris Elba.
Netflix’s decision to debut Beasts in theaters is a calculated move. In order to become eligible for an Oscar, the company must ensure that movies appear online “on or after the first day” they are shown in theatres. The film will play in Landmark theaters in the US and at Curzon’s arthouse locations in the UK from today, ticking all of the requisite boxes.
While Netflix’s first feature film will deliver an emotional impact, the streaming giant has a wide range of other movies in development. It’s teamed up with Adam Sandler for four new original pictures, signed Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan for war thriller Jadotville and is also working on a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Source: Beasts Of No Nation (Netflix)
Want Android Marshmallow on the 2012 Nexus 7? This method has you covered
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The man who was behind the way to get Android Marshmallow on the Nexus 4 is at it again, this time figuring out how to get Android Marshmallow on the 2012 Nexus 7. Dmitry Grinberg provides a guide on how to do it, but like the method for the Nexus 4 that he posted last week, the method of updating the 2012 Nexus 7 will require a little Android know-how – though learning some cool tricks is never a bad thing. That said, it looks like Grinberg has also provided the relevant files if you want to take the shorter, easier approach too.
According to Grinberg, all the major things are working, including the camera, NFC, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth so you should be able to use it as a relatively stable device. Nexus devices have slowly been dropping off the radar as Google stops their official support, but it’s always good to know that the community will keep these devices alive for the foreseeable future. If you try out this method, we’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
What do you think about Android Marshmallow on the 2012 Nexus 7? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Dmitry Grinberg via XDA
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