Pushbullet’s latest feature lets you browse your files remotely from any device
Ever forgotten your work laptop at home when you really needed it? If so, you’re probably aware that this is one of the worst feelings ever. Pushbullet’s latest feature, called Remote Files, aims to help you out with this problem.
With Remote Files, you’ll have access to all of your files from any of your devices (for free!), as long as they have Pushbullet installed and are connected to the internet. Your files don’t need to be in a special folder, either. With Pushbullet on Android, just slide out the menu on the left-hand side and select Remote Files. If there are any devices available with this feature enabled, you’ll be able to select which one you want and start browsing. Once you find your desired file, you have the option to push it to the device you’re currently using with a simple tap.
See also: 15 best Android apps of 2015
Perhaps the best part of this new feature is that you can access devices from anywhere in the world, as long as they have internet access. So if you’re in Chicago and need to access your laptop that you forgot in Los Angeles, you can. Pretty great, right?
Remote Files is disabled by default, so you’ll need to go into your Pushbullet app’s settings and enable it manually. Both the Android and Windows applications now have support for Remote Files, so head to the link below to grab the latest version from the Play Store.
Most hated man on the internet bought Wu-Tang’s one-off album
Martin Shkreli has a strong claim to be the most hated man on the internet, and his latest obnoxious display of wealth is about to piss off plenty of hip hop fans. Bloomberg has learned that the smirking hedge fund mogul was the mysterious buyer of the Wu-Tang Clan’s one-off album, Once Upon A Time in Shaolin. As part of the deal, Shkreli is now the only person in the world that’s entitled to listen to the work, with public broadcast blocked until 2103 at the very earliest.
You might not know his name, or the face, but you do know the one thing that he is most famous for. After all, he’s the arsehole that bought the life-saving AIDS drug, Daraprim, and raised the price from $13.50 to $700 per pill. According to the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, the $2 million deal was signed before Shkreli’s misdeeds were public knowledge. Having learned the truth, the musician has told the news agency that the bulk of the Shaolin fee will be donated to charity.
The pharmaceuticals boss seems determined to rub salt into the wounds of fans, happily admitting that he hasn’t even listened to the album. He has said that he’ll save the moment for a “rainy day,” unless Taylor Swift calls him up and demands to hear it. A team of fans had attempted a rival purchase, hoping to raise $5 million in order to secure the album for mass consumption. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter only garnered $15,406, forcing the group to turn to private buyers. Presumably they were expecting that one of those nice, scrupulous people that just happens to have $2 million in their back pocket would have bought it instead.
Source: Bloomberg
Facebook’s 2015 review video puts the year in perspective
One of the internet’s greatest achievements is its ability to connect disparate global communities in discussion and, at times, compassion — and a lot of that conversation takes place on Facebook. The company’s Year in Review, a video and list released today, outlines the top 10 stories of 2015, including the US presidential election, Paris terrorist attacks, Syrian civil war and refugee crisis, Nepal earthquakes, Baltimore protests, and marriage equality. It’s a snapshot of a year with extreme peaks and valleys, ultimate joy and devastation.
Facebook says it composed the 2015 Year in Review as follows: “Year in Review top 10 lists were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between January 1st and December 1st, 2015. To put this list together, Facebook posts were analyzed in an aggregated, anonymized way, and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook.”
https://player.vimeo.com/video/148313339?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
The most-discussed topics in 2015, according to Facebook:
1. US Presidential Election
2. November 13 Attacks in Paris
3. Syrian Civil War and Refugee Crisis
4. Nepal Earthquakes
5. Greek Debt Crisis
6. Marriage Equality
7. Fight Against ISIS
8. Charlie Hebdo Attack
9. Baltimore Protests
10. Charleston Shooting and Flag Debate
Source: Facebook Year in Review
Dear Veronica: Facebook follows and ghost girlfriends
We kick off the show today with a great question about the creepiness factor of the Facebook “follow” button. Does it bother you when random strangers comment on your Facebook posts? Well, it shouldn’t, and I’ll tell you why.
We also cover the best alternatives to TweetDeck, and how to deal with an unruly ghost girlfriend. You know the type. Send in your questions to #DearVeronica on Twitter, and please send me in some holiday tech support horror stories! I’ll be reading them on the show for the rest of the month!
The White House wants your thoughts on encryption
If you’ve felt that the US government was more than a little tone deaf about the importance of strong encryption, now’s your chance to do something about it. In response to a popular petition, the White House is asking for public comments on the encryption debate. You only have to fill out a simple web form to reject mandatory back doors and suggest alternatives that don’t violate your privacy.
Whether or not the White House listens is another matter. While it says that it’s meeting with the creators of the petition this week, that’s news to them — primary creator (and Electronic Frontier Foundation member) Rainey Reitman notes that no one got in touch. There’s also the question of whether or not the administration will understand that a compromise on encryption isn’t really possible. Despite repeated warnings that encryption becomes weak the moment you introduce a back door, the government is still convinced that it can have guaranteed surveillance access without hurting security — it may not change its mind unless it receives a loud and clear objection.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Via: EFF, Ed Felten (Twitter), Steven Bellovin (Twitter)
Source: We the People
35 QHD (1440p) Wallpapers to celebrate the holiday season
It’s cold outside and the days are short. It’s the holiday season and Santa is preparing his gifts to deliver around the globe to those of you who were not naugthy. If you want to track his every movement and visit his village, you can head on over to Google’s Santa Tracker webpage. In the meantime, to help you get in the holiday spirit, we have curated 35 QHD holiday themed wallpapers for your smartphones and tablets. Happy Holidays everyone from AndroidGuys!
Check out the wallpapers and download as many as you would like.
The wallpapers are all in the scrolling images above, and if you want to save them, follow these instructions:
- Click the left/right arrows to scroll through the images
- Maximize the image you like by clicking on it
- Long press or hold down on the image and click “save”
- Go to your gallery or Google Photos and find your image
- Click “use as” and then click wallpaper
If you see a wallpaper that belongs to you and you would like to receive credit, I would love to give it to you! Just drop a comment in the section provided below with some proof (You know, just so we don’t have people claiming things that are not theirs…) So, please choose those that you like and enjoy!
Some of my favorites are listed below.
The post 35 QHD (1440p) Wallpapers to celebrate the holiday season appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung creates new team committed to automotive technologies
As most of you know, Samsung’s mobile division is struggling to outface competitors. As of earlier today, Samsung revealed that they’re setting up a new team that’s committed only to the company’s automotive business in hope to get the company back on track.
Autonomous driving may be the next big thing. Tech giants like Google, Apple and others are working endlessly on the technology and Samsung doesn’t want to be left in the dust. Samsung’s new automotive team will focus only on autonomous driving technologies in attempt to improve sales for auto components. Many believe that there’s going to be a big empty spot in the market for self-driving cars in the future. However, it remains to be seen if self-driving cars can replace humans as drivers and if these automotive vehicles are safe enough. The company is just getting started, so it’ll be a while before self-driving cars actually become a reality for the company.
Source: Vincent Se Young Lee (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Samsung creates new team committed to automotive technologies
HTC sending out 7,000 more Vive virtual reality developer units soon, new launch target is April 2016
HTC yesterday released a status update for how far along the HTC Vive is. There’s been some misinformation circulating, according to HTC, and they want to resolve that with a quick update. That said, the Taiwanese-based company is still hard at work on the virtual reality headset and plans on starting out the new year by offering an additional 7,000 developer units to, well, developers.
HTC in its blog post said that an official launch isn’t that far off either. While some speculation indicated that the Vive would launch much earlier, HTC is now saying that consumers can expect to purchase the Vive after its official launch in April 2016.
The company introduced the Vive earlier this year at MWC 2015, saying that the virtual reality headset would be available to consumers by the end of the year. That’s obviously no longer the case, and despite the disappointment, it’ll ultimately be a good thing for the product.
There are many high expectations for some of the bigger and upcoming virtual reality headsets, meaning that companies like HTC and Oculus need to make it perfect before offering the device to consumers. Not only that, but virtual reality to this extent is a fairly new technology, and as a result, just takes more time to develop and perfect.
When HTC and Oculus are ready to officially release their virtual reality headsets, consumers will ultimately be very happy to see a refined and polished product, even when all of the delays are a pain.
Anyone looking forward to the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift?
source: HTC
Come comment on this article: HTC sending out 7,000 more Vive virtual reality developer units soon, new launch target is April 2016
YouTube Android app begins showing a new buffer progress feature for some users
Some YouTube for Android users are beginning to see a buffer progress bar on paused videos, according to a new report from Android Police. When a video is paused, a buffer progress overlay is now right below the pause button, showing users just how much of the video has been downloaded/buffered.
Not only does it show you much has been downloaded, but it also shows the total data size of the video. Images sent to Android Police from its community of users show that the video will continue to buffer while it’s paused, and when it’s finished downloading, the overlay will change to “Ready to watch.”
YouTube for Android previously wasn’t very friendly to those on poor connections, as it would only buffer just a little bit ahead, requiring those on slower speeds to constantly pause and resume the video. This new feature would eliminate that problem.
It doesn’t seem that users will need to update their Android app for the new feature either. Users as far back as version 10.37.58 from September are seeing the change as well, according to Android Police.
YouTube will no doubt test out this feature with a select amount of users for the next couple of weeks before rolling it out to its hundreds of millions of viewers.
source: Android Police
Come comment on this article: YouTube Android app begins showing a new buffer progress feature for some users
[Deal] Nexus 5X gets discounted $50 on the Google Store and Amazon
Only one month after its launch, the Google Nexus 5X has already begun showing deals. Through the end of the year, one can purchase the Nexus 5X at a discounted price on either the Google Store or Amazon.
The Nexus 5X was already an affordable device, but has now become even more affordable. Both the Google Store and Amazon are running the same $50 promotion, which will apply for both the 16GB and 32GB versions. The 16GB model now costs only $330, down from $380, and the 32GB version now costs $380 rather than the original $430 price tag. In addition, Best Buy is running a similar promotion on the handset. All prices are for the unlocked version, which are not linked to any carrier or contract agreement. Not a bad deal if you ask me. Our review of the Nexus 5X is coming soon, but for now, you can check out the specs overview here.
[Google Store] [Amazon]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Nexus 5X gets discounted $50 on the Google Store and Amazon
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