Here’s how to enable double tap to wake on the Nexus 6P
Some smartphone makers implement a feature in their devices called “double tap to wake”, which allows users to wake the phone’s display by simply tapping on the screen two quick times. This feature is put in place for good reason on smartphones like the HTC One M8 or the LG G4 that have oddly-placed power buttons. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for it to be on the new Nexus 6P, as it not only has a rear-mounted fingerprint reader and easily-accessible power button, it also comes with Google’s handy Ambient Display mode.
If you’ve been spoiled by other smartphones that have this feature and would like to use it on your new 6P, now you can. Thanks to XDA developer Flar2 who discovered the line, you can enable double tap to wake on your Nexus 6P in a few easy steps, as long as you’re rooted.
First, you’ll need to download a terminal emulator from the Google Play Store, then input the following command prompt in the terminal:
echo 1 > /sys/devices/soc.0/f9924000.i2c/i2c-2/2-0070/input/input0/wake_gesture
Congratulations! You’ve just enabled the handy feature on your device. It should be noted that it won’t survive a reboot, so you’ll need to redo this process if you’d like to get it working again. The developer does say he’s working on a fix to make it permanent. If we hear any news on a permanent fix, we’ll be sure to update this post.
So, will you be enabling this feature on your device, or are Nexus Imprint and Ambient Display enough for you? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Latest Android distribution numbers show Marshmallow running on .3% of devices
Google has just released the latest Android distribution numbers for this past month, and we’re seeing a welcome addition to the chart this time around. Android 6.0 Marshmallow is now running on .3 percent of all active Android devices. Seeing as how it just began rolling out to Nexus handsets a few weeks ago, these are some pretty impressive numbers.
As for the other numbers, Android 5.0 Lollipop is now running on 25.6 percent of active devices, which is a 2.1-percent increase over last month’s numbers. Android 4.4 KitKat is still holding strong at 37.8 percent, a 1.1-percent decrease from last month. Jelly Bean saw a 1.2-percent decrease from last month, now sitting at 29 percent.
See also: Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates roundup – October 29, 2015
Ice Cream Sandwich saw a decrease of just .5 percent, now running on 3.3 percent of active devices. Both Android 2.3 Gingerbread and 2.2 Froyo didn’t see a change in numbers this month. Gingerbread is running on 3.8 percent of all Android devices, and yes, Froyo is still holding on at .2 percent. Any version of Android with less than .1 percent distribution isn’t listed on the chart, so hopefully it won’t be long until Froyo is kicked off.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how the adoption of Android Marshmallow plays out over the next couple months. For now, though, it’s nice to see Lollipop making its way to more and more Android devices.
Pebble Time Round starts shipping on November 9th, in stores same day
Back in September Pebble unveiled the latest member of its Pebble Time family, and its very first circular watch, the Pebble Time Round. While the watch was made available for pre-order at the time, it wasn’t expected to start shipping until sometime in November. Now Pebble has confirmed the watch will ship to those that pre-ordered on November 9th.
Not only will the Pebble Time Round ship next week, it will also be landing in Target and Best Buy retail stores that same day.
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Aside from a rounded display that gives it a unique look, the Pebble Time Round is essentially the same device as earlier members of the Time family. That means you still get an e-paper color display and battery life that should last at least several days, depending on your usage. The Round also features quick charging that can get you a full day’s use in just 15 minutes.
See also: Pebble announces its first round smartwatch, the Pebble Time Round
The Pebble Time Round will set consumers back $249.99, the same price as it was offered for during its pre-order period. The watch will come in Black, Silver, and Gold – though the latter choice will only be available for the 14mm watch band size, with the other two being offered for both 14mm and 20mm bands.
Anyone pre-order the Pebble Time Round? Or do you plan on picking it up directly from a brick-in-mortar retailer next week? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Survey: 83 percent of consumers do not plan to buy a new tablet this year
The folks over at Gartner conducted a good-sized survey this year, in conclusion, only 17 percent of respondents plan to purchase a tablet in the next 12 months.
19,000 consumers were surveyed across the U.S., UK, France, China, Brazil and India during May and June of 2015.
Two-thirds of households own a tablet
Looking a little closer at the numbers, the survey explains that more than two-thirds of consumer households already own a tablet, at least in the U.S., and more than 25 percent of households have more than one tablet. With 48 percent of respondents claiming that they do not plan to replace a device until they absolutely have to, a 17 percent purchase intention rate leads us to think that people are happy with their current tablets, but are they?
Preferred computing devices
Smartphones have gradually become more capable and have hit the market with larger and larger displays in the last year or so. Where a 5-inch display was once considered to be a large device, a modern 5-inch screen often elicits feelings of budget and low-end production. With phones now commonly found in the the 5.5-inch and larger form-factor, consumers that once employed a two-device approach, including their phone and a 7-inch tablet, are now finding a tablet to be redundant to their 5.5-inch up to – as large as 7-inch phone as is.
While we are talking mostly of mature markets here, emerging markets are even less inclined to purchase a WiFi only tablet device. Without the free WiFi found in shops on every street corner, a WiFi only tablet serves little use as compared to a cellular connected phone.
Consumers do not know what to purchase next
Perhaps the most profound conclusion that Gartner reaches based on their survey: consumers don’t know what to purchase next. Despite showing that 65 percent of PC users plan to stick with a PC and 46 percent with their laptops, Gartner believes that users needs are not being met by current device offerings.
Hybrid devices like the newly announced Microsoft Surface Pro 4, iPad Pro or Google’s Pixel C demonstrate a melding of tablets and laptops. These devices are mostly larger than your typical tablet computer, coming in with 12-13-inch displays, they come with attached keyboards, and input such as touchpads and smart stylus.
With the plethora of computing form factors available, consumers are finding it an easy decision to purchase a highly capable smartphone, and continue with traditional-styled laptop and PC devices. From there, however, the large phones and excellent hybrid devices leave many uncertain as to what device they should purchase next.
Who wants a tablet?
I recently wrote of my thoughts and frustrations on the dying 7-inch tablet market. With the numbers above providing context to what we already knew, it is not hard to see why manufacturers are not giving tablets their full attention. However, speaking for the 17 percent of us looking for a new tablet, I find there is a shortage of great devices to choose from, despite the flooding of low-end 7-inch tablets on the market.
In the end, Gartner believes that household penetration of tablets will drop below 40 percent. Hybrid devices, on the other hand, offer up the best of both world, providing the portability and battery life of a tablet with the functionality and productivity of a laptop, we’re all interested to see where they get to.
Are you still a fan of tablets, or have you moved on to a large smartphone and improved laptop or hybrid device?
This article originally appeared on our partner site TabTimes.
Press release
Gartner Survey Shows 17 Per Cent of Consumers Plan to Purchase a Tablet in the Next 12 Months
Survey of 19,000 Consumers Studied Personal Technology Purchase Intentions
STAMFORD, Conn., 5th November, 2015 — As the slowdown in purchases of personal technology continues, a recent Gartner, Inc. survey found that 17 per cent of consumer respondents in mature markets intend to buy a tablet in the next 12 months. This will force strategic leaders to reassess market opportunities in this category, as basic and utility ultramobile upgrade rates could fall by 10 per cent through 2016.
The survey, which was conducted in May and June 2015, surveyed 19,000 consumers in the US, UK, France, China, Brazil and India.
“Tablet innovation is driven by applications rather than by the hardware. However, most applications work pretty well with first- and second-generation tablet hardware, and because the operating system (OS) can be upgraded for free, the user is not compelled to change the device,” said Meike Escherich, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Users are less interested in the hardware and more interested in the applications and how devices using the cloud can interact with each other.”
The survey found that less than one in five users in mature markets are planning to purchase or upgrade a tablet. The penetration of tablets has reached more than 66 per cent of households in the US, with more than 25 per cent of households having two or more tablets.
“Unless new compelling innovation or incentives to upgrade tablets are created, the churn of the mature installed base will continue to fall,” said Ms Escherich. “The worst-case scenario is that many tablet users will never upgrade or buy a new tablet as phablets and/or two-in-one convertible PCs (both with larger screen) envelop the benefits of a tablet. This scenario would result in real household penetration for tablets falling under 40 per cent in mature markets.”
In emerging markets, the penetration of tablets is lower and filled with many lower-cost tablets. In these markets, tablets need to complement smartphones. However, the availability of Wi-Fi connectivity is limited, and cellular-connected tablets are as expensive as entry-level smartphones with screen sizes larger than 5.5 inches.
“We believe that smartphone demand will split into two screen sizes: 5 inches, and 5.5 inches and larger (defined as a phablet),” said Ms Escherich. “Consumers choose between these two based on their device preference and lifestyle. Some consumers prefer smartphones at 5 inches or smaller for better portability. Others will opt for phablets for a more compelling mobile content consumption experience, finding little benefit in owning a 7-inch tablet that lacks phone capability. Some may choose 5.5 inches and larger if they tend to carry bags, while some may prefer 5 inches and smaller if they want to put their device in their pockets. Some budget-constrained consumers will prefer single-device ownership and will choose phablets as combining the best of both worlds.”
Overall, Gartner’s consumer survey findings indicate that 48 per cent of respondents do not want to replace a device until they absolutely have to. The purchasing process itself has become more complex, and consumers now have to prioritise which computing device is most important to them. About half of the survey respondents plan to remain loyal to their current form factor, especially desktops (65 per cent) and standard laptops (46 per cent). However, the survey showed that consumers seem increasingly uncertain about what device should replace their existing device, which points to users’ wants and needs not being clearly met by current product offers as overlapping offers make the decision process increasingly complicated.
“Opportunities appear in the form of hybrids. Demand for this two-in-one form factor is generated by tablet owners and standard laptop users. The dissatisfaction with standard laptops comes from issues around battery life, weight and boot up times. Others see the versatility of a hybrid meeting the needs of a tablet and a notebook, especially with the benefit of a keyboard,” said Ms Escherich. “It appears the traditional PC is no longer a compromised device compared with tablets or even smartphones and appeals to consumers in a new, more versatile form factor.”
More detailed analysis is available in the Gartner report “Notebook, Tablets, Hybrids, Phablets —Strategic Planners Need to Know What Devices Consumers Plan to Buy.”
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. The company delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in approximately 10,000 distinct enterprises worldwide. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 7,100 associates, including more than 1,500 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 90 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
Marvel will launch its brand new Avengers Academy game for Android and iOS in Q1 of 2016
If you’re partial to a superhero or two, then we have some pretty awesome news for you. Marvel has just unveiled its first Avengers Academy game for Android and iOS, which is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2016. In this title, you’ll be provided with all the resources you need to create your very own school for heroes.
Check it out in the teaser trailer below:
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Marvel will launch its brand new Avengers Academy game for Android and iOS in Q1 of 2016
[TA Deals] Score an OSTraining Developer Course lifetime subscription at a 96% discount
If you’re interested in web development, we’ve got a fantastic deal on a lifetime subscription to tons of courses and material to get started or sharpen your skills. The OSTraining Developer Course offers a ton of training for several popular platforms and teaches the intricacies of things like HTML and CSS. It’s great to know for a beginner, and still a handy resource to have for someone that’s already gotten their feet wet.
There are over 3,000 videos on web development with a new class offered each week, and courses can be officially certified to help you build out your portfolio. There’s a ton of content and instruction here, and normally it’d cost upwards of $3,000 to get everything. This deal knocks a solid 96% off of the lifetime subscription, though, bringing the price down to just $69. Not a bad deal considering everything you’ll have access to.
Come comment on this article: [TA Deals] Score an OSTraining Developer Course lifetime subscription at a 96% discount
Google smartens up Drive file sharing
Sharing files through Google Drive is a pretty straightforward process and one of the coolest ways we can think of to collaborate. Whether it’s on a desktop or a mobile device, Google makes it rather easy to connect with others for viewing, editing, or sharing files. According to Google, the mobile experience is about to get even better.
Users this week will now receive mobile notifications alerting them whenever files or folders are shared with them. From there, a single tap is all that’s needed to head directly to the files and folders.
Drive for Android lets recipients request access to a file which will also be sent immediately to the person who created the documents. You know how sometimes you share a link with someone and haven’t finished up the permissions? Yep – this will help alleviate the headaches.
Also changing in the Drive experience for Android, users will no longer need a Google Account to view shared files on a device. Indeed, this will be just like it is on the desktop and full web setup.
The post Google smartens up Drive file sharing appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Educate your kids and keep them safe with the Verizon Ellipsis Kids tablet
If you are technical and have kids, you probably know how to limit your kids from accidentally clicking the wrong webpage, deleting your files and preventing them from making in-app purchases with your account information. We all know kids are super savvy these days, and in many cases, they are more savvy than us when it comes to gadgets.
Verizon announced the Ellipsis 8″ Kids tablet which is designed just for them. It is a full-featured kids tablet with content and games curated by education professionals. If the parents want to add or remove content, they will have that ability, so the tablet can grow with your child or even support their own video addiction. Most importantly, the tablet is designed to keep kids safe. Every Ellipsis Kids tablet will come preinstalled with Zoodles Kids Mode, a digital playground for kids to play and learn using games, videos and books. Parents will have the ability to set time limits, activate app blockers and a unique child lock. Whether you’re at the store or on the road, you can enable kids mode ensuring your child’s safety while educating and entertaining them. Millions of kids are already using Zoodles.
The Ellipsis Kids tablet will be available on Thursday Nov. 12 for $249.99 on Verizon’s payment plan for $10.41 per month for 24 months with 0% A.P.R. Or if you prefer the 2-year contract, you can pay $79.99 while connecting to your existing data plan for $10 per month.
The tablet is built on Android, and comes with an 8″ IPS display, 5MP camera, 4G LTE, Kid Tough Bumper, 5000mAh battery and a parent dashboard.
Check it out at Verizon.com starting Nov. 12.
The post Educate your kids and keep them safe with the Verizon Ellipsis Kids tablet appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Releases Second OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan Beta to Public Beta Testers
Apple today seeded the second beta of OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan to public beta testers, two days after releasing the second beta to developers and a week after seeding the first OS X 10.11.2 public beta. Today’s update comes two weeks after the public launch of OS X El Capitan 10.11.1.
The second OS X 10.11.2 beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to those who are enrolled in Apple’s beta testing program. Those wishing to join the program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website.
The first OS X 10.11.2 beta did not include any outward-facing changes, but it likely includes bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address issues discovered since the release of OS X 10.11.1. Apple’s release notes for the initial developer beta asked testers to focus on Graphics, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.
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Motorola Droid Maxx 2 review
It has been a long since the Motorola Droid Maxx was launched; mid-2013, to be exact. Fans of the battery beast have been hoping for a successor, and this year Motorola has finally decided to bring the series back to life, again in collaboration with Verizon. The equation has been changed this time around, though. In fact, the Droid Maxx 2 is pretty much a re-branded Moto X Play.
Regardless, it is battery life that characterized the Maxx series, and the second iteration sure takes care of that department. Just how good is this phone, though? Does it deserve that precious spot in your pocket? Let’s find out!
Design
The first thing you’ll notice on the back of the device is that Verizon logo on top of the ‘Droid’ branding. And this is to be expected, as both the Droid Maxx and Maxx 2 are Verizon exclusives, something that plays a huge part in setting this phone apart from the Moto X Play. Also on the back are the camera, flash and that beloved Motorola dimple we have gotten so used to, all housed in a metal frame. This dimple acts as a nice resting point for your finger.
To add even more comfort to the phone, Motorola has included a very nice rubbery material along the back. It has a different pattern than what we have seen in the Moto X Style/Pure Edition, which also feels a bit softer to the touch.
This material choice provides a great grip on the device, but it also comes with a downside – the phone does get dirty quite easily.
There’s another caveat in the design department. Unlike its twin, the Moto X Play, the Droid Maxx 2 has no Moto Maker support. On the bright side, users are still able to remove the back plate, giving them the freedom to exchange textures and colors at will.
Flip the phone around and you will find a classic Motorola look. The speaker grills pop out ever so slightly, and the front-facing camera can be found up top. By the way, don’t mistake these for dual speaker grills; the bottom one is the only one that will output sound while playing media.
This can create a little bit of an awkward, unbalanced listening experience, but at least the speaker is on the front, which is definitely a plus. It’s nowhere near being the best audio around, but it does offer some crisp sounds and ample treble.
Motorola is very good at making bezels small, and the Droid Maxx 2 is no exception. This makes the phone easy to hold, even with that massive 5.5-inch screen. What we do have here is some added volume and mass to the phone, as it measures in at 10.9 mm of thickness and weighs 169 grams. Regardless, it has a great grip to it and is among the most comfortable to hold.
Going around the handset we can also find the volume and power buttons on the right side. I do wish the power button had a Moto X Pure-like texture, though, as operating the Maxx 2 simply by touch makes things a bit confusing.
Display
Speaking of that 5.5-inch screen: we have a beautiful HD LCD display on the front of the Droid Maxx 2. It does not consist of Motorola’s shatter-proof technology (like the Droid Turbo 2), but its Gorilla Glass 3 should hold up as well as most 2015 flagships.
While QHD is quickly becoming the standard in higher-end phones, FHD is a common resolution for mid-tier devices, and so the inclusion of a 1080p display here makes a lot of sense. Not to mention, this is one of the best FHD panels we have seen!
It’s interesting to see Motorola going with LCD technology, though, as one of their biggest features is Moto Display. This capability showcases notifications over a black background, which saves energy in the case of AMOLED screens. But then again, this is a more affordable handset, and some sacrifices had to be made. On the bright side (literally), this screen is quite vibrant and dazzling.
Performance & Hardware
Under the hood, the Droid Maxx 2 houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, backed by an Adreno GPU and 2 GB of RAM. And though it only comes with 16 GB of internal storage, users do have access to a micro SD card slot capable of handling 128 GB cards.
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On paper, the new Droid Maxx 2 doesn’t seem like anything to write home about, but I must say the phone performs exceptionally well. It runs very smoothly while performing most tasks and handles multi-tasking with no hesitation. It may fall short of your needs if you are a heavy gamer, but for the most part it delivers pretty fast performance.
As for battery life, this remains one of the biggest selling points for the Droid Maxx series. The Droid Maxx 2 has a huge 3630 mAh battery (nonremovable). Along with the power-efficient 1080p resolution and lower end specs, you can surely get some great battery life out of this smartphone. It will last you an entire day, even with heavy usage.
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With moderate usage we were able to get over 5 hours of screen-on time. Some days I was at around 40% by the time I went to sleep (light to moderate use). Taking that into account, you could say some users will get up to 2 days of battery life. The Droid Maxx 2 can also be charged with Motorola’s Turbo Charger, which is one of the fastest in the market. The sad part here is that the phone doesn’t come with this charger, but you can buy it separately.
Camera
This camera is light years ahead of what we saw on the 2013 Droid Maxx. Just like other 2015 Moto phones, the Droid Maxx 2 sports a 21 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front shooter. Photos are consistently great, producing substantial amounts of detail, while keeping colors bright and vibrant.
With that said, I do have to mention the camera has a tendency to over-expose images a bit. But that is an area in which Motorola’s camera app really helps, as exposure is easily adjustable. However, the rest of the shooting experience can be a bit weird, at least if you are like me and dislike the whole drag-to-focus and tap-to-shoot mechanics.
As it goes with other phones, shooting in low-light scenarios will result in a significant quality degradation. That’s to be expected, but we did notice it even falls behind other 2015 smartphones. These images aren’t horrible, however. And though there is no OIS to help shots being blurry, the software stabilization found in video works great. By the way, 4K recording also works great.
The 5 MP front-facing camera has a wider angle lens, which does create really nice looking selfies with a good amount of detail.
I would say the cameras on the Droid Maxx 2 are among the best Motorola has ever made, and there’s a lot to love here.
Software
One of Motorola’s main lures is their near vanilla Android experience, which is something the Droid Maxx 2 inherits from previous generations. Our main gripe is that we do find plenty of Verizon bloatware here, however.
Out of the box, the Droid Maxx 2 is running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which is a little disappointing considering Marshmallow is starting to spread out to some devices. Android 6.0 is starting to become something we expect out of new phones, given that it came out of the box with the HTC One A9. Sure, there is the promise of an update coming, but you know how things go with Verizon. We might have to wait longer than expected.
Besides those couple disappointments, everything else is great about the Droid Maxx 2’s software. You can expect the same Material Design look; from the pull-down menu to the settings and recent apps.
Motorola phones are interesting, because people praise their stock feel, but they also love their customizations. The Droid Maxx 2 may have slightly less features than other Moto handsets, but it’s still worth a look. Moto Display is still there, but since there are no movement sensors in the front, and so you can’t wave your hand over the phone to activate it. Users will have to move their phones a bit, instead.
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Moto Voice also makes sure you can access content without having to touch the phone. It’s similar to the “OK, Google” command, but you can program it to listen to any phrase of your choice. This one is actually quite fun! Gestures like twisting your wrist to launch the camera are still there, but we are missing the chopping one, which turns on the flashlight.
The software itself does run perfectly. I found no shutters, hiccups of animation choppiness. Since you can uninstall most Verizon apps, bloatware also won’t be too much of an issue after doing some housekeeping.
Specifications
| Motorola Droid Maxx 2 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.5-inch display 1920 x 1080 resolution, 403ppi Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 1.7GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 |
| GPU | Adreno 405 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| MicroSD | Up to 128GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Universal LTE bands Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
| Networks | XT1565: VZW GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) CDMA (850, 1900 MHz) 4G LTE (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 20) |
| SIM card | Nano SIM |
| Water repellent | Yes |
| Camera | 21MP rear camera, f/2.0 aperture 5MP front camera |
| Battery | Non-removable 3630mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow coming eventually |
| Colors | Black with Deep Sea Blue Back White with Winter White Back Interchangeable back plates also available |
| Dimensions | 148 x 75 x 8.9-10.9mm 169g |
Gallery
Pricing and conclusion
As the Verizon phone that it is, customers can purchase the Maxx 2 for zero dollars down and $16/mo over a 2-year period. It’s full retail price is only $384, though whether that’s a good or bad deal for the specs, depends on you. It is worth mentioning that Verizon is doing something pretty cool here, allowing users to trade in their old phones for up to $300 towards the purchase of the Droid Maxx 2.
You get a lot with the Droid Maxx 2 for a relatively affordable price. With its great camera, fantastic battery life and great software, it’s definitely worthy of your consideration, especially if you were tempted by the Moto X Play and had hoped to see it come stateside. Sure, there are plenty of other phones that are priced and spec’d similarly or better, but this remains one of the best mid-range options out there for Verizon customers.
AIVAnet 