Fitbit Surge and Charge HR automatically detect and log exercises
Just in time to entice holiday shoppers, Fibit is updating its Surge and Charge HR fitness trackers with a handful of new features. First, a SmartTrack feature automatically recognizes exercises during your workouts and records them in the Fitbit app along with details on duration, calories burned and heart rate. SmartTrack can determine if you’re on the elliptical, outdoor biking, running, walking or doing one of a few aerobic workouts (Zumba, cardio-kickboxing , dance, etc.). It can also detect if you’re playing sports like tennis, basketball and soccer. You can personalize the activity recognition too, telling the tech which movements you want logged as exercise and how long you want to be moving before it starts to track them. By default, you’ll need to be in motion at least 15 minutes before the recording starts. When it comes to heart-rate tracking, the two wearables are getting improved PurePulse performance for those more intense workout sessions. By using Exercise Mode on the Charge HR and multi-sport modes on the Surge, the gadgets will provide a better “experience” during and after those high-energy activities like Zumba.
Samsung Pay gets support for cards from Chase bank
Today, Samsung’s making good on a promise recently made to people in the US. The company has announced that its mobile payments system, Samsung Pay, now works with Visa debit and credit cards from Chase bank. Last month, Samsung also said the app would be adding support for gift cards from “top” retailers in entertainment, dining, grocery and fashion, but this feature hasn’t officially launched yet. Nevertheless, this shows Samsung is serious about expanding Pay and that, most importantly, it’s getting the backing it needs from banks, retailers as well as carriers.
Google experimented with a Star Trek-style Communicator badge
Did you ever watch Picard’s Star Trek and hope that someday, we too might communicate with just the touch of a lapel-worn gadget? No, we didn’t really, either — Bluetooth headsets quickly poured water on that fire. But, Amit Singhal, senior vice president and software engineer at Google did, and the company even made a prototype. In a report in Time, Singhal describes the never-before-known wearable as a simple Bluetooth device controlled by touch, just like on the show. Once activated, your voice command would be passed to your handset, with feedback delivered by either a small speaker, or headphones.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Time
Opera Max saves data while you stream music
The data savings of Opera Max for Android may make the most sense when you’re watching cat videos, but music matters, too — listen to a few albums and you’ll easily burn through several hundred megabytes. Thankfully, Opera might just have you covered. It just trotted out an update to Opera Max that can optimize your music streaming data by as much as 50 percent in apps like Pandora, Slacker or YouTube Music. The trick is on-the-spot conversion of audio from MP3 or MP4 to the more data-efficient AAC+ format. Yes, that transcoding theoretically affects quality ever so slightly, but it might be worthwhile if you can listen to a few more tunes during your commute.
Via: Android Central
Source: Google Play, Opera
Shazam’s song recognition just got a lot faster
Shazam is doubling down on what it does best with its latest update: Recognizing songs when your memory (or pop cultural knowhow) fails you. And, for the first time, the app now highlights a search feature on its main page, which lets you dig for more information about songs and artists. The goal, naturally, is to convince you to stay within Shazam rather than hopping over to the web for music research. In my brief testing, the new Shazam app recognized songs from television and radio in a few seconds — at times it even found a result in under a second. It feels significantly faster than previous versions of the app, which sometimes took over five seconds to lock onto a song. That’s not a huge difference, but given that Shazam has been around for years (it was one of the first killer apps back when the iPhone’s App Store launched in 2008), it needs to keep improving to keep up with competitors like Soundhound.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Shazam
MasterCard Offers Apple Pay Users Free Public Transit in London Starting Today
In an effort to increase adoption of contactless payments, major credit card issuer MasterCard has launched a limited time “Fare Free Mondays” promotion, offering free public transit to Apple Pay users in London on Mondays between November 23 and December 14, 2015.
Starting today, and on the next three Mondays, MasterCard customers using Apple Pay to touch in and out on London’s public transit network will have up to £27.90 in daily fares refunded by MasterCard. The promotion is valid for travel on the Tube, buses, tram, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail services in London.
Mark Barnett, president of MasterCard UK&I:
“The move by TfL last year to accept contactless cards and devices on London Underground has been a phenomenal catalyst to the growth in contactless payments across the UK. Now that Apple Pay has arrived we want to encourage travellers on London’s transport network to try it out and give them another convenient option to pay for their travel. What better way to do this, than to offer MasterCard customers using Apple Pay the chance to travel for free over the next four consecutive Mondays.”
MasterCard competitor Visa today also unveiled a new Apple Pay “Ready” campaign in Europe, including two TV ads from agency Saatchi & Saatchi that highlight how fast, easy and reliable using a Visa card in Apple Pay is in everyday situations such as paying to use the Tube or in a cafe.
Apple Pay expanded to the U.K. in July and is accepted at more than 250,000 locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The iPhone-based mobile payments service recently gained support for Tesco Bank and TSB in the country alongside over 90 new U.S. issuers.
Discuss this article in our forums
MasterCard Offers Apple Pay Users Free Public Transit in London Starting Today
In an effort to increase adoption of contactless payments, major credit card issuer MasterCard has launched a limited time “Fare Free Mondays” promotion, offering free public transit to Apple Pay users in London on Mondays between November 23 and December 14, 2015.
Starting today, and on the next three Mondays, MasterCard customers using Apple Pay to touch in and out on London’s public transit network will have up to £27.90 in daily fares refunded by MasterCard. The promotion is valid for travel on the Tube, buses, tram, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail services in London.
Mark Barnett, president of MasterCard UK&I:
“The move by TfL last year to accept contactless cards and devices on London Underground has been a phenomenal catalyst to the growth in contactless payments across the UK. Now that Apple Pay has arrived we want to encourage travellers on London’s transport network to try it out and give them another convenient option to pay for their travel. What better way to do this, than to offer MasterCard customers using Apple Pay the chance to travel for free over the next four consecutive Mondays.”
MasterCard competitor Visa today also unveiled a new Apple Pay “Ready” campaign in Europe, including two TV ads from agency Saatchi & Saatchi that highlight how fast, easy and reliable using a Visa card in Apple Pay is in everyday situations such as paying to use the Tube or in a cafe.
Apple Pay expanded to the U.K. in July and is accepted at more than 250,000 locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The iPhone-based mobile payments service recently gained support for Tesco Bank and TSB in the country alongside over 90 new U.S. issuers.
Discuss this article in our forums
Awaken your Light or Dark side as Google plays Jedi mind tricks with your favourite apps
So. Star Wars. The new film (The Force Awakens) is being released next month, and the excitement is ramping up quite nicely. As I was never a fan of George Lucas’s sequel prequels, I can’t wait to see the old (and I do mean old) gang back together. There’s tons of merchandising available already, along with games on all sorts of platforms (check out Brad’s review of Star Wars: Uprising here), and now Google is getting in on the act allowing fans to choose the light, or go over to the dark side.
Regardless of which side you choose, your favourite Google apps such as Search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, etc. will take on a Star Wars theme. From the Gmail loading animation changing into a light sabre to the background image on your Gmail account showing the landscape from Planet Jakku.
Clay Bavor, Google’s VP of Product Management, has said that this is just the beginning of the tie-in with Disney for Star Wars, with a virtual reality Millennium Falcon just one of the goodies to look forward to before The Force Awakens hits cinemas next month. The ability to Google Translate Wookie Speak and other Star Wars languages maybe also become a reality in the coming weeks.
You can choose your side by visiting google.com/starwars, and if you aren’t sure which side to join, the Light side would appear to be a little light (bad pun) on numbers. Come on, how many of you haven’t dreamed of piloting the Millennium Falcon with Chewy roaring by your side?
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Awaken your Light or Dark side as Google plays Jedi mind tricks with your favourite apps
How to set up Nexus Imprint on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X
One of the standout features from Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the fingerprint API. It allows Android devices to take advantage of built-in fingerprint scanners have a higher level of authentication for purchasing apps, submitting transactions, and securing a phone or tablet.
The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X are the first two handsets to feature Nexus Imprint, Google’s term for such technology. Although we’ve seen manufacturers include fingerprint scanners of their own, this is the first time Google is officially them for Android.
First off, you’ll want to head into Settings and locate Security. The process will be the same whether you have a Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X. If you’re in the correct place, the fifth option from the top should read “Nexus Imprint.”
Once you select that option, your device will make you agree to the terms that follow. Then you’ll be asked to provide a backup password, PIN, or pattern. The next step is when you’ll scan your finger. For both the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, the sensor is mounted on the rear side of the device in a little circle just below the camera. On-screen prompts will help you to locate it. Now you’ll have to place and lift up your fingertip on the sensor multiple times while varying your finger placement slightly each time. This ensures the device captures the best possible image so that you can scan your finger quickly and accurately without any issue. For me, the fingerprint scanner on the Nexus 5X seems to register correctly almost always and has been more reliable than the majority of competitors.
Once you’ve added your fingerprint you’ll be good to go! You’ll also have the option to repeat the process and add another finger (but no more than five) and even give a name to each finger added. You’ll notice the addition right away on your lock-screen. Near the bottom you’ll see a small fingerprint icon indicating that your device can be unlocked with your fingerprint. You can also use your backup password, PIN or pattern at anytime by swiping up from the bottom of the lock screen. Google occasionally asks for your backup security method (the password, PIN or pattern) when booting up your smartphone for the first time.
One of the best things about Nexus Imprint is that you won’t even need to touch the power button prior to unlocking your device. When the device is on standby, you can wake it by placing your finger on the sensor to bypass the lock screen altogether. Google says that everyone’s fingerprint is secure and not shared with anyone; therefore, your data is kept safe at all times.
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you got lost in the process or have any questions regarding Nexus Imprint, please feel free to drop a comment down below and we’ll do our very best in assisting you.
Come comment on this article: How to set up Nexus Imprint on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X
[Deal] Kick off Black Friday week by saving 15% off of ALL drones
The deals are really starting to roll in now. We featured a special deal this past Saturday where you had an opportunity to save a few extra dollars over at the AndroidGuys Deals page. Today, we are kicking off the most popular shopping week of the year with a great deal.
Drones are starting to become all the craze, and now’s as good of a time as ever to jump on the train. From miniature drones, to full-fledged ones, there are plenty of various drones available via the AndroidGuys Deals page. Today’s deal is to save you an EXTRA 15% off of any drone that you can find.
The two featured drones that are the focal point of this awesome deal are:
Snowflake Stealth Drone – $34.99
- 6-axis gyro technology for smooth & steady flight
- High-speed mode for outdoor racing
- 4 multi-color LED lights to navigate the night’s sky
- 2.4 technology to avoid multi-drone collision
- 4 safety-protected propellers for crash recovery
- 4CH digital proportional RC system for indoor & outdoor flight
SKEYE Hexa Drone – $45
- Ready to fly (RTF) out of the box
- Fits in the palm of your hand
- Easy to use: go pro pilot in no time
- Provides a three-level adjustable controller sensitivity for beginners, mid-level users & experts
- Includes a six-axis flight control system & adjustable gyro sensitivity
- Includes aerobatic functionality for flipping through the air
- Made of durable, lightweight plastic
- Protects against crashes w/ propeller bumpers
- Navigates through the night w/ bright LED lights
Each of these drones offer a unique experience, and are great for the first-timers, and those who have more experience in the art of flying drones. Now, you’re already saving a load of money with either of these drones, however, you’ll be able to save an extra 15% this week.
All you’ll need to jump on this deal is head over to the AndroidGuys Deals page, select your favorite drone, enter the coupon code “DRONE15“, and you’re ready to go. Your holiday shopping has kicked off, and you’ve saved a bunch of money in the process. Drop us a line below and let us know which of these drones you’re eyeing up this holiday season.
If you like this deal, and want to see more of these, let us know in the comments below. You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!
AndroidGuys Deals: SKEYE Hexa Drone & Snowflake Stealth Drone
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