Nick Cannon is the new Chief Creative Officer of RadioShack
RadioShack filed for bankruptcy a while back but, thanks to the deep pockets of the folks over at Standard General, a few stores will remain open. The retailer is trying to rebrand itself and its latest move is appointing TV personality Nick Cannon as its Chief Creative Officer. Cannon will work with RadioShack to create a line of exclusive products, curate music and even organize special performances and events. The retailer will also focus on its educational and STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) initiatives. There’s been no official announcement as to what kind of exclusive products RadioShack and Cannon will come up with, but it better be revolutionary if the retailer hopes to forge a new, relevant identity.
[Image credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic]
Source: PR Newswire
Uber color coding experiment promises smoother pickups
If you’ve ever used a ridesharing service, you’ve probably had that moment where you had to guess which car was your ride. Yes, you have the model and license plate, but what good are those on a dark and busy street? Thankfully, Uber might soon take the guesswork out of the equation. It’s testing a color coding system (SPOT) that has you picking the color for a light on the driver’s windshield that glows when your ride gets close. If you want to help the driver, you can also light up your own screen to show that you’re the right person.
Source: Uber Newsroom
Secure messaging app Signal is coming to Chrome
Open Whisper Systems announced Wednesday that it is bringing its encrypted open-source messaging app to the desktop. The Signal app enables users to communicate privately via its end-to-end encryption scheme and the same protections are being extended to the new beta Chrome application. What’s more, the desktop and Android mobile apps can be linked so that they share a single logon. The company is currently working on adding the same functionality to the mobile iOS app, though there’s no word yet on when that will be ready.
Source: Open Whisper Systems
Zenwatch 2: A full featured Android Wear watch that won’t break the bank
Wearable technology has taken a little longer than expected to get off the ground in terms of adoption rate. Even Apple’s Watch has been a let down for investors and many have given up on the wearable technology as a major area for financial growth. Until now, Android Wear devices have been rather expensive, lacking in design, or leaving much to desire in terms of features.
ASUS has made it much easier to adopt wearable technology with the Zenwatch 2 as its starting price is an affordable $129.00. And just because it is over half of the price of competitors, like the Moto 360 2nd generation and the Huawei Watch, it doesn’t lack in design and runs the same full featured software in Android Wear.
Design
The ASUS Zenwatch 2 comes in two sizes, the larger size measures in at 49.6mm and the smaller is 42mm. Rather than being circular, the watch is a rectangular shape with a metal case, matte plastic rear cover, with a thoughtfully placed and designed button on the right side of the watch. My particular model, the W1501Q(49.6mm) came with a textured dark blue leather wrist band, graphite colored case with a slightly rose colored gold button.
Being a rectangle with a 1.63″ AMOLED display, the Zenwatch 2 does have decent sized bezels to the screen. I actually do not think the bezels look bad – if there were no bezels the watch would be too small for me. If the display was maximized to the edges, it might be too bright for me and would be a distraction. The resolution is 320 x 320, or 278ppi which is barely low enough resolution to see pixels if you look for them.
Sporting an AMOLED display, the colors are rich and the contrast ratio is perfect as blacks blend in with the bezels of the display.
A nice feature that ASUS factored into the Asus Zenwatch 2 is using a standard 22mm quick-release band which means you can swap your wrist band with ones commonly found on other watches. If you want to make it sporty, you can add a rubber wrist band, or if you want to make it more industrial looking, throw on a dark metal link band.
The charging cable is a proprietary magnetic four pin connector which you must have in order to charge the watch. It also comes with an IP67 rating which means the Zenwatch 2 is dust-proof and can withstand 30 minutes of water exposure up to 3ft deep. And that does not cover salt water.
Software
The ASUS Zenwatch 2 uses the same software that the LG Urbane, Moto 360 2nd generation, Huawei Watch, and the Tag Heuer Connected watch use – Android Wear. Android Wear is Google’s software that seamlessly integrates with most Android smartphones.
Android Wear does require you to download the Android Wear app, which will allow for these functions:
-Check important info like who’s calling, SMS and messages, and alerts from your favorite apps. You can even speak or draw a quick response right from your watch.
-Get built-in fitness monitoring and coaching from your favorite running and fitness apps: Endomondo, Google Fit, Runkeeper, Strava, and more. -Track your steps, distance, and calories while you walk, run, or ride your bike. And even measure your heart rate.
– Save time with smart help from Google. Get reminders from Google Now about your next appointment, current traffic conditions, flight status, restaurant reservation, and more. Speak “Ok Google” to ask any question you want.
-Pursue your passions with Google Maps, Foursquare, Google Play Music, Shazam, WhatsApp, and thousands more of your favorite Android apps.
The beauty of the Asus Zenwatch 2 is being priced starting at $129, it runs the same software as the $300 Huawei Watch and the $1500 Tag Heuer Connected watch. So extra money doesn’t get extra software features in this case.
And like all other Android Wear Watches, Asus does provide watch faces designed just for the Zenwatch 2. And just recently, my watch was updated with Christmas themed watch faces, which actually is a cute and thoughtful addition. Christmas themed watch faces aren’t necessarily my style, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them. Of course, you are free to download and install new watch faces from the Google Play Store as well.
Usage
I’ve been fortunate to have access to a selection of Android Wear devices – The original Moto 360, Huawei Watch, LG Urbane 2nd Edition, Lg G Watch R, Lg G Watch, and now the Asus Zenwatch 2. Having access to a variety of watches gives me a better ability to compare hardware since the software is the same across the watches. Watches for me, as much as I hate to admit this, need to look “good”. They are almost always visible and I really don’t want to wear something that looks “dorky”. That’s a very personal and subjective matter and everyone’s tolerance for “dorky” is different.
With that being said, I actually find the reasonably priced Zenwatch 2 to look very nice and classy. Sure you can tell it is a smartwatch when wearing it, but with the dark blue real leather watchband, the metal case and glossy display look very nice. And what really sets it off is that slightly rose colored button off to the side. Even though Asus didn’t break the bank with the hardware, you can tell they made aesthetics a top priority. There’s even a part of me that finds the Zenwatch 2 to be more “dressy” than the Huawei Watch(metal band) and definitely more dressy than the Moto 360.
Cartier luxury watch.
Lots of people have been balking at the idea of a rectangular smartwatch, but there are many watch makers who make similar shaped watches. If you’ve heard of Cartier, they have been making jewelry and watches since 1847 and was originally founded in France. Cartier watches regularly run into the four to five digit price range, and rectangles have been a signature shape of its watches. Most watch enthusiasts can spot a Cartier from quite a distance based on shape alone. So a watch doesn’t have to be round to look good. In fact, I would take a box shaped watch any day over the flat tire look of the Moto 360. I have NEVER seen a real watch with some of its face missing. Why people find the flat tire look acceptable is beyond me.
The “flat tire” is where Moto houses its sensors.
If a watch looks good to me, the next most important factor is comfort. The Zenwatch 2 is every bit as comfortable as almost any watch I’ve worn of its size. The genuine leather band feels silky smooth, and the watch itself is the perfect size for my wrist. It might be a tad large for people with smaller wrists.
It also has a good sized display which is perfect for my aging eyes. I would rank the Zenwatch 2 near the top of Android Wear watches in terms of comfort. It also doesn’t “feel” cheap like the LG G Watch R or the LG G Watch.
Performance wise the Zenwatch 2 is as snappy as the others. It is powered by a Snapdragon 400, has 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory and has a 400mAh battery. Covering the display is Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3, which should withstand minor bumps and scratches. The face definitely isn’t as durable as the Huawei Watch’s Sapphire display, but if you take care of your Zenwatch 2, the display should hold up fine. If it is worn on your wrist, you really shouldn’t have to worry about dropping it and cracking the screen.
Battery Life
Even though the Asus Zenwatch 2 comes with a decent sized 400mAh battery, which is 25% more than the Huawei Watch, I couldn’t seem to get more than one full day of use out of it. There are many others who have told me that they think the battery on their Zenwatch 2 is fantastic, regularly getting two full days of use, but even with settings on the “Always-on screen” to off, I just didn’t have good battery life.
My Huawei Watch and LG Urbane 2nd Edition both get much better battery life, but one full days use is still acceptable. I just wish I could leave my display set to always on. That’s a personal preference though.
Summary
I was pleasantly surprised with the Asus Zenwatch 2. Before the Asus Zenwatch 2, I had been let down by almost Android Wear devices. In concept and looks they weren’t bad, but most of them looked cheap, felt cheap and were clearly first generation products. It’s why I think wearables were considered a bust in the first year with the vast majority of users. Also, many Android Wear watches were quite expensive, and with phones already in the $500-800 range, dropping another $300 was out of the question for most.
With the Zenwatch 2 starting at $129.00, it makes investing in wearables much easier. $129 is still a decent amount of money, but it isn’t $300 like the first generation Moto 360, or the current starting price of the Huawei Watch. At a more affordable price, it also makes swallowing the limited features of a smartwatch a bit easier to swallow.
Smartwatches still don’t make phone calls, they aren’t able to fully function without a connected smartphone, and they are terrible for doing anything more than basic functions. But they still have a place – they tell time, track activity, send texts and basic emails, search using Google Now, and are a great way to check notifications. People are finally starting to see the value in smartwatches with high quality examples like the Zenwatch 2. In just one year, Asus has proven that Android Wear has a place on your wrist.
Specs
- Processor –Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz
- Operating System- Android Wear
- Memory – 512 MB RAM
- Storage – 4GB eMMC Flash
- Display – AMOLED 1.63″
320×320,
278ppi Touch Display - Sensor- 6-Axis (A+G) with Sensor-hub
- Audio – Built-in microphone
- Battery – 400mAh
- Features- Cover Lens: 2.5D curved Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Water Resistance: IP67
Communication: Bluetooth 4.1+WiFi - Dimensions – 1.95 x 1.6 x 0.37 inch (LxWxH) ~ 10.9 mm
The post Zenwatch 2: A full featured Android Wear watch that won’t break the bank appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Hiroshi Lockheimer tweets that new emoji for Android are coming next week
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If you’re one of the people who have been pining for new emoji for the last few months, fear not, your wait may not be much longer. After promising that his team was working on new emoji for Android back in October, Senior Vice President of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, has tweeted out that these new emoji are coming as soon as next week. Because the change actually requires new code within Android itself, these new emoji will be rolled out as part of a system update which will start rolling out to Nexus devices first, naturally.
Look! New emoji coming to #Nexus next week. Fonts and tech details shared with OEMs to include in their updates too. pic.twitter.com/GwvKw2d67p
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) December 3, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWhat this does unfortunately mean for everybody that doesn’t have a Nexus device is that you are at the mercy of your OEM who will have to make their own changes before rolling out the update – and let’s not even get started on the carrier variants of devices. Presumably it’s just a small change, so some of you may get lucky as OEMs gear up to roll out their Android Marshmallow updates.
What do you think about getting new emoji for Android? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Hiroshi Lockheimer tweets that new emoji for Android are coming next week appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Andy Rubin, the father of Android, looks like he wants back in the mobile game
Andy Rubin, one of the co-founders of Android, has been away from the operating system for quite some time. The programmer-engineer-entrepreneur left the Android division of Google back in 2013 to help out with some of Google’s new robotics tech. A year later, he left Google completely to pursue his own hardware investment incubator Playground. Now Rubin says he’s thinking about coming back to the Android world by starting his phone company.
See also: Andy Rubin’s Playground Global invests $15 million in CastAR augmented reality startup
Rubin might be bringing some very interesting things to the Android ecosystem. Although he hasn’t released anything specific about his intentions, Rubin has had his hand in a number of developing fields over the last two years. He’s been involved in everything from augmented reality technology to new computing platforms to artificial intelligence.
If Rubin throws the weight of Playground’s hardware investments into this proposed phone company, we might start seeing some previously disparate technologies start shaking hands on mobile devices. This could be a step toward improving smartphones’ ability to interact with a wide array of devices simultaneously, a capability that is currently somewhat limited.
See also: Andy Rubin is leaving Android… but for what?
Of course, this is all speculation. Nonetheless, Andy Rubin is an icon in the tech world, so you can expect some definite rejoicing if this phone company becomes a reality. Always an innovator and ever an ally to upstart tech, Rubin would make a valuable re-addition to the Android landscape. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope some of that Rubin magic is coming back to the mobile world.
What are your thoughts on this development? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Moto X Pure Edition (2015) Marshmallow soak test has begun, full launch possibly in 1 week
After it was discovered that Moto X Style users in Brazil and India were already on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, users in other parts of the world, including the USA where the device is known as the Moto X Pure Edition, have been wondering when their time will come. Today Motorola’s David Schuster took to Google Plus to give an update:
I’m pleased to announce that today we are starting the soak test period of Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade for the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen) in the US. We will monitor the soak for next week and with good results, proceed to full launch.
A soak test essentially involves distribution of new software to a small group of users in order to monitor the performance and test for any bugs or major problems. Typically it is seen as the last hurdle before wide-scale deployment to the public at-large.
More on Motorola
The move to Marshmallow comes at a critical time for Motorola, now owned by Lenovo. Some have been skeptical of the company’s commitment to standards established during its tenure at Google, during which time the Moto X line was introduced. In light of new ownership, critics have questioned if Motorola will continue placing priority and focus on timely updates and support.
Last year, for example, Motorola began to update the Moto X Pure Edition (2014) as early as November 12th, which makes this roll out significantly protracted in comparison. This assumes there will be no hiccups with the soak test, less it could be several days, weeks, or at worst even months of additional waiting.
This news also raises two additional questions, namely when the Moto X Style (the international variant of the Pure Edition) will receive Android 6.0, an issue that numerous Google Plus users can be seen asking Mr. Schuster in the lead image for this piece. The other of course, is when the other new Motorola devices will be updated: the Moto G (2015), the Moto X Force, the Moto X Play, the Droid Turbo 2 and so on.
Wrap Up
Owners of the Moto X Pure Edition will no doubt be excited by today’s news, and eagerly await the time when their smartphone can be updated to Android 6.0. We would like to hear your thoughts: is Motorola still in your “good books” as long as Marshmallow hits your device by the end of December, or has the company already disappointed you with the several months it has taken to get this far? If anyone is part of the soak test we also want to hear your thoughts on the new update!
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Songza folds into Google Play Music in early 2016
More than a year ago, Google acquired Songza to bolster its music streaming efforts with personalization. But Songza continued to operate the same despite being owned by Google; however, today the music streaming service announced its fate. Although it will indeed disappear for good, Songza will be folded into Google Play Music early next year.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Songza’s final day of operation will come on January 30, 2016. The following day, Google Play Music will absorb Songza accounts so that users will not lose their favorite playlists and listening history. Existing users of Songza just need to agree to the company’s new Terms of Service and Google’s Privacy Policy. Songza’s founders are making it clear to their loyal fanbase that moving over to Play Music has relatively few changes. Play Music costs nothing to use, though a paid subscription exists, and elements of Songza already live within it. The Concierge feature, which matches moods with music, was designed by Songza.
Source: Songza
Come comment on this article: Songza folds into Google Play Music in early 2016
What’s coming to Nexus devices next week? New emojis!
What do you normally seek in a software update? Probably bug fixes and security patches, but also new features could show up if you’re lucky. Next week’s software update for Nexus devices might get you really excited or really annoyed.
It’s all about emojis. 🙌
Look! New emoji coming to #Nexus next week. Fonts and tech details shared with OEMs to include in their updates too. pic.twitter.com/GwvKw2d67p
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) December 3, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Once Google’s own hardware has the latest and greatest set of emojis, everyone else will be able to get their users access. Motorola is the only major company I’ve come across that uses the same emoji style as Google. Samsung, LG, HTC, and others prefer to utilize their own take on these characters. And, to be honest, they just don’t evoke the same fun as Google’s. At least the others will be able to have the same set of emojis even if it’s not of the same quality.
Did I just judge emojis? 😎
Source: Hiroshi Lockheimer (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: What’s coming to Nexus devices next week? New emojis!
Android’s new emoji arrive next week on Nexus devices
Android head Hiroshi Lockheimer said new emoji were on the way, and now they’re right around the corner. The Google exec revealed that next week Nexus devices will be updated with the new taco, unicorn and lion face emoji that are part of the Unicode 8.0 standard. The change will require a “new keyboard, new font, new code” so it means a full system upgrade is on the way (as far as any other changes, Lockheimer is declining to “ruin the surprise”). If you don’t have a Nexus phone, you’ll have to wait for your manufacturer to push the upgrade… eventually. No matter how long that takes, emoji addicts will be happy to see Android picking up the pace on its Unicode support, following Apple which added the latest standard to iOS 9.1 and OS X El Capitan.
Source: Hiroshi Lockheimer (Twitter)
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