Google Maps offline navigation and search now in India
Google Maps has become a road beast since last week, when the Search Giant announced the rollout of offline navigation, search and more. But not everyone in the world has been lucky enough to have that feature from the get-go. Are you in India? If so, today is your lucky day!
The Google Maps team has just announced offline availability in India starting today. So now you can get yourself around town with no internet connection at all!
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But wait – didn’t Google Maps already do this before? In a certain way, it sure did. You could download maps from some areas, but the system was pretty confusing. With the new system users can download maps for cities, counties and even countries. That is a huge step. Not only does it help data savers and emerging markets with slow internet, but it will be a life saver for the road warrior who often has to go through areas with no signal.
This is why we were so excited about offline access to Google Maps navigation and search when we first saw it at Google I/O. Offline access is one of the main factors that made some other mapping apps preferable to some users. And that makes sense! You don’t want to be using data every single time you go somewhere, right?
Interested? You can hit the link below to learn how to use the offline feature on Google Maps. It’s fairly simple. Happy mapping!
How to use Google Maps offline
Sprint Launches LTE Plus Network, Offers 50% Off Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T Rate Plans to Celebrate
Sprint today launched its LTE Plus network, which is available today in 77 major markets in the U.S. To celebrate, the carrier is announcing what its calling “the biggest wireless offer in U.S. history”, offering 50 percent off of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T rate plans. The offer runs from November 20 to January 7, 2015 and the pricing remains in place until January 8, 2018.
“We’ve made tremendous strides with our network because we know consumers want wireless service that provides consistent speed and reliability,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “We are so confident that customers will have an amazing experience that we are encouraging them to give us a try with the biggest wireless offer in the history of our industry. Customers switching to Sprint will never need to look elsewhere. They will learn what our 58 million customers already know – Sprint offers the best value and an award-winning network.”
T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T customers who want to switch to the network will get Sprint plans that mirror their old plans, only for half the price. For example, a T-Mobile customer with four lines and 10 GB of data per line pays $180 per month at T-Mobile, but will only pay $90 at Sprint. An AT&T family who pays $100 for 15 GB data will get the same thing at Sprint for $50. Verizon customers paying $80 for 12 GB will get the same for $40. Verizon and AT&T customers will also get 50 percent off access fees.
The discounts are only available to consumer plans for Verizon’s 1 GB, 3 GB, 6 GB, 12 GB, 18 GB, 20 GB and 25 GB shared data plans, T-Mobile’s Simple Choice 2 GB, 6 GB and 10 GB plans and AT&T’s 300 MB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB and 25 GB shared data plans. Specific carrier features like unlimited music and video, data rollover and cloud options do not carryover to Sprint.
Customers switching over to Sprint can also take advantage of iPhone Forever, Sprint’s plan that allows customers to upgrade to a new iPhone every year. It’s also a “worry-free” offer, with customers having 28 days to try out Sprint’s service. If they’re not happy, they can return it without incurring a restocking fee. Sprint will also pay any switching fees up to $650 per line with an American Express Reward Card after online registration and phone turn-in.
Sprint says its new LTE Plus network is faster than Verizon’s and AT&T’s networks, citing Nielsen Mobile Performance data. NMP uses crowdsourced data from Android users in 44 of the largest markets in the U.S., and it found that in 20 of the 44 markets, users downloading files over 5 MB did it fastest on Sprint. The carrier says the new network can reach up to 100 Mbps, includes stronger service with an extended 2.5 GHz signal and more reliable service with three brands of spectrum: 1.9 GHz for broad coverage, 800 MHz for indoor coverage and 2.5 GHz for faster speeds.
Current Sprint customers will get a free tablet with one year of free service while supplies last. Sprint says this offer is a $360 value.
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John Legere blasts Sprint on Twitter for new 50% discount plans
It wouldn’t really be a US wireless carrier announcement if John Legere didn’t let everyone know just what he thought about it. Just hours after Sprint announced their new plan to cut your current bill in half, Legere did exactly that. He took to Twitter to post a countdown of reasons why Sprint’s plan isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and why T-Mobile is a better offer for most customers.
Some of the countdown included advantages to T-Mobile, like getting unlimited music and video streaming, some of it blasted Sprint’s policies, like their activation fees and charges, and some of it went after the new plans directly, slamming Sprint’s decision to only offer the promotions to new customers and not existing customers. While the posts were definitely magenta colored, Legere makes some pretty good points about how good of an offer these new plans really are.
What are your thoughts on Sprint’s new plans? Do you agree or disagree with T-Mobile’s CEO?
source: John Legere (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: John Legere blasts Sprint on Twitter for new 50% discount plans
Carnegie Mellon says it didn’t help the FBI hack Tor for money
The Tor network volunteers recently accused Carnegie Mellon University of helping feds uncover the identities of some shady website operators and users, including drug distributors and child pornographers, in exchange for $1 million. In a statement released today, however, the university doesn’t only deny getting money from the FBI, but also heavily implies that it was served with a subpoena that requested the details of its Tor research. “The university abides by the rule of law,” it said, “complies with lawfully issued subpoenas and receives no funding for its compliance.”
Source: Carnegie Mellon University
Google Play will soon begin telling you if an app has any ads
Google is updating their Play Store policies that will require developers to list whether or not their application features any in-app advertisements, which is actually already required for any apps listed in Google’s Designed for Families category. This policy change will affect every app on the Play Store and will begin to be enforced in January, 2016.
Developers will have to list this info by January 11th, and it includes just about anything that anyone would consider an advertisement. In-app ads, ads in a news feed, and banner ads all qualify, and Google checks the SDK to tell whether or not you’re deploying any kind of ad service in your app.
Would any of you refuse to install an app if you knew it contained ads?
source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google Play will soon begin telling you if an app has any ads
CalDigit Announces Two New USB-C Docks, USB-C Adapters and More
Today at Inter BEE 2015 in Japan, CalDigit announced two new lines of USB Type-C docks, two new USB-C adapters and more. The new accessories give owners of USB-C computers like the new MacBook more flexibility in how they use their device.
CalDigit USB-C Dock
The USB-C Dock comes in five colors and features a silicon cover that CalDigit says adds a layer of protection to the dock’s aluminum case. The dock includes 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Display Port, an Ethernet port, Audio in and out and AC power. The dock allows users to charge their computer while connecting all a user’s devices at the same time.
The smaller USB-C mini Dock has 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a VGA port and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Unlike the larger dock, the more portable version does not charge the computer at the same time. Instead, it draws power from the computer.
CalDigit also announced the FASTA-6GU3 Plus, a dual interface PCIe card that adds 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A and 2 eSATA ports to any Mac desktop computer. Finally, the company also announced USB-C to HDMI and USB-C to VGA adapters.
CalDigit USB-C mini Dock
All the new products are available for pre-order on CalDigit’s website. The USB-C Dock has a special pre-order price of $149.99, but will retail for $159.99 and ship in February 2016. The mini Dock has a special pre-order price of $89.99, but will retail for $99.99 and ship in late January 2016. The FASTA-6Gu3 Plus also ships in January 2016 and will retail for $169.99. Both adapters will ship in December 2015, with the HDMI adapter retailing for $29.99 while the VGA adapter will retail for $24.99.
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This new security checkpoint could keep the TSA out of your bags
At the top of the list of “things that piss off air travelers” is, far and away, the hassle of having a bunch of TSA clownholes rummage through their bags at security checkpoints. However, a new bag-scanning system from Qylur could speed that process up significantly.
Via: Wired
Source: Qylur
Oppo embraces near-stock Android to sell more phones beyond China
It’s relatively easy to buy Oppo’s smartphones in many places around the world. However, it’s still obvious that they were originally designed for Chinese buyers, who tend to favor heavy customization — how is Oppo supposed to make a name for itself abroad? By stripping things down, apparently. The company has released a beta version of Project Spectrum, a firmware release that gets much closer to stock Android. You’ll still find signature Oppo features like a custom camera app and screen-off gestures, but you’ll see much more of Google’s original interface (specifically, Lollipop). It’s only available to download for the Find 7 and Find 7a at the moment, but there are plans for both broader hardware support and a Marshmallow upgrade in the months ahead.
Via: The Verge
Source: Oppo Community
DARPA wants your crazy robot pitches
DARPA is known for its amazing tech and scary robots. But it knows that somewhere out there, others are thinking of sweet automatons to help the Department of Defense. To that end, it has teamed up with Open Source Robotics Foundation for the Robotics Fast Track (RFT) program to give people outside the government the chance to pitch their robot idea. While it’s happy to accept pitches about land and air devices, what it’s really interested in is space and maritime hardware. According to DARPA program manager Mark Micire, building for both those environments is incredibly difficult. So, if you have a sweet submarine that can track other objects underwater without cracking under extreme pressure, you might want hit them up.
Source: RFT
Expansys offering big savings in Pre Black Friday deals
Grab the Nexus 5 for $200 in limited-time deal
Looking to pick up a kick ass Android smartphone but wanted to hold off until Black Friday or Cyber Monday? What if we told you that there were some incredible promotions happening right now?
Expansys is selling a handful of Android phones, Chromebooks, tablets, and other goods as part of a Pre Black Friday promotion. There’s also a bunch of savings to be had on Windows-based devices, accessories and more.
We’ve scooped up a few that were passed along to us so definitely check ’em out!
Android
- Brand New Nexus 5 D820 32GB- Was $349.99, Now Only $199.99!
- LG V10 64GB- Now In Stock At $659.99
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7- Was $299.99, Now Only $199.99!
- ASUS All-In One Desktops From $369.99
Chromebooks and All-in-Ones
- ASUS Transformer Multi-Touch 18.4″ PC/Tab- Refurbished (Core i5-3350,GeForce GT 730M Dual-Core 3.1GHz, All-in-One, Refurb)- Was $1199.99, Now Only $649.99
- ASUS ET2321IUTH 23″ IPS Touchscreen All-In-One PC (Core i3-4010U, GeForce GT 630M, 8GB, 1TB, Refurb)- Was $899.99, Now Only $419.99
- ASUS ET2230IUT 21.5″ Refurb Touchscreen All-in-One PC (i3-4150T, Dual-Core 3.0GHz, 8GB, 1TB HDD, 1080p)- Was $699.99, Now Only $369.99
- Acer C720-2827 11.6″ LED Chromebook B-Stock (Celeron 2955U Dual-Core 1.4GHz, 2GB, 16GB SSD)- Was $179.99, Now Only $129.99!
- ASUS Chromebook C300MA-DB01 13.3″ Notebook-Refurbished (13.3″, 2GB, 16GB EMMC, Intel Celeron N2830)- Was $229.99, Now Only $139.99!
- HP Chromebook 14 14-q039wm 14″ LED Chromebook (B-Stock Celeron 2955U Dual-Core 4GB, 16GB SSD)- Was $239.99, Now Only $149.99!
- Sony Smartband SWR10 with 2 Lime Wristbands- Only $39.99!
The post Expansys offering big savings in Pre Black Friday deals appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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