- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
3
Feb
Kindle e-reader update gives quick access to your books
Who said that dedicated e-readers were dead? Certainly not Amazon. It’s rolling out a major Kindle reader update that breathes new life into your e-paper experience. The most conspicuous improvement is a brand new home screen that highlights your most recent books, your reading list and personalized recommendations. You also have quick access to common settings like airplane mode, easier sharing (particularly for Goodreads) and an easy way to see the books that aren’t on your device.
Don’t expect to see the update right away. It’s deploying to the basic 2014 Kindle, the Paperwhite (both 2013 and 2015) and the Voyage in the days ahead, so it may take a while before you’re getting Amazon’s fresher take on digital literature. Some of these concepts aren’t completely new (Kobo has had a few of these elements for a while), but they’re welcome on what’s arguably the de facto e-reader for many bookworms.
Via: The eBook Reader
Source: Amazon
3
Feb
14 sweet tech gifts for Valentine’s Day
Did you know Valentine’s day is just around the corner? You better make your dinner reservations now if you haven’t already. The traditional gifts to show your love are cards, chocolates and roses. There’s nothing wrong with those traditional gifts, but sometimes your significant other may want something different. Many of you can get away with not getting gifts, but why risk it? Isn’t it better to make someone happy and show your appreciation and love for them rather than to complain and call Valentine’s Day a Hallmark Holiday?
We’re a tech site and as such we have 14 Valentine’s gift suggestions for you. But you better order your gift soon if you haven’t already. The 14th is less than two weeks away.
Google Nexus 6P and Huawei Smart Watch – Save $50 on both from Google.com
Operating System
Display
- 5.7 inches
- WQHD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display at 518 ppi
Rear Camera
- 12.3 MP¹
- 1.55 µm pixels
- f/2.0 aperture
- IR laser-assisted autofocus
- 4K (30 fps) video capture
Front Camera
- 8MP camera
- 1.4 µm pixels
Processor
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1
- 2.0 GHz Octa-core 64-bit
- Adreno 430 GPU
Memory & Storage²
- RAM: 3 GB LPDDR4
- Internal storage: 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB
Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker – $129.99 LINK
- Clear, full-range sound you might not expect from a compact speaker
- Voice prompts make pairing your devices easier than ever
- Up to 8 hours of music from rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Wireless connection to your smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth-enabled device
Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid – $135.99 LINK
- Authentic Movement: Guide your BB-8 with a smartphone or tablet
- Listens & Responds: BB-8 recognizes and reacts to your voice
- Holographic Messaging: Record and view virtual holographic videos with BB-8
- Autonomous Behavior: BB-8 has a mind of its own – explore the Star Wars galaxy together
- Adaptive Personality: Your BB-8’s unique attitude and actions evolve as you interact
- Authentic Movement: Guide your BB-8 with a smartphone or tablet
- Listens & Responds: BB-8 recognizes and reacts to your voice
Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch – LINK
- Function meets style with elegant curves and premium finishes
- Intuitive circular interface and rotating bezel for easy navigation
- Access to important notifications, texts, and updates at a glance
- Compatible with Android 4.4 and later with 1.5GB RAM. Some features may not be available. For best compatibility, connect with Samsung Galaxy devices.
- Wireless charging dock included
- 1.2-Inch Display Size
- 4GB Internal Memory / RAM 512MB
Amazon Echo – $179.99 – LINK
- Plays all your music from Prime Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more using just your voice
- Fills the room with immersive, 360º omni-directional audio
- Allows hands-free convenience with voice-control
- Hears you from across the room with far-field voice recognition, even while music is playing
- Answers questions, reads audiobooks and the news, reports traffic and weather, gives info on local businesses, provides sports scores and schedules, and more with Alexa, a cloud-based voice service
- Controls lights and switches with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, and other smart home devices
- Always getting smarter and adding new features and skills–over 95 added since launch
Kindle Fire 7″ – $49.99 LINK
- Beautiful 7″ IPS display (171 ppi / 1024 x 600) and fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Rear and front-facing cameras.
- All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
- Enjoy more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games
- 8 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage.
- Updated user interface – Fire OS 5 designed for quick access to your apps and content plus personalized recommendations that make it easy to discover new favorites
- Up to 7 hours of reading, surfing the web, watching videos, and listening to music
- Stay connected with fast web browsing, email, and calendar support
Magazine Subscription to Texture – LINK
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With Texture, you have an all-access pass to world’s best magazines. So anytime you want to read something great, you can. Choose any issue from a catalog that includes all the top magazines in every category.
It’s magazine reading without limits. Flip through an entire issue that hit newsstands today. Or dig into a single article from a back issue in the vast archive. Audio and video exclusives bring extra dimension to the experience.
Caseco Blu-Toque Dual Layered Bluetooth Knit Hat – $49.99 LINK
- Wear your Blu-Toque while walking the dog, working outside, commuting, or going for a jog.
- Knit from soft synthetic wool, Blu-Toque is lightweight, warm, and water resistant.
- Blu-Toque is universal?it works with any Bluetooth device.
- Take calls and listen to music right from this integrated beanie. No more headphones, no more wire
August Smart Lock – Keyless Home Entry with Your Smartphone, Red – $149.99 LINK
- Secure – Safe, keyless access to your home with iOS and Android smartphones
- Easy DIY Retrofit Install, – Replace the interior of your existing deadbolt; outside is unchanged
- Total Control – You control who has access to your home and manage how long their access lasts
- Always On – Powered by batteries means it’s always on, even if your power, Wi-Fi, or cable go down
Behmor Connected Temperature Control Coffee Maker – $299.99 LINK
- Customizable, temperature control coffee maker with phone app for easy operation
- Free Behmor app works on Apple iOS 7 and higher (available now); Android 4.0+ and higher (available January 2016)
- Create your favorite brewing profile including brewing temperature and pre-soak time or select from app’s library
- Delayed Brew option heats the water waiting to brew
- Double walled thermal carafe holds 8 5oz cups per brew cycle
WeMo Switch, Wi-Fi Enabled, Control your Electronics from anywhere – $39.99 LINK
- Turn appliances and electronics on or off from anywhere. Never worry if you left the iron, coffeemaker or hair straightener on. Turn on the nightlight for your little ones!
- Easy to install and simple to use
- Set schedules and receive customized notifications
- Works with any smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 and higher or iOS 5 and higher. Electrical Rating120V/15A/60Hz/1800W
- Compatible with Amazon Echo for voice control hands-free convenience
1byone Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker Dimmable Multicolored LED Light Bulb – $30.99 LINK
- Multicolored & ever-changing – Small smart LED bulb can convert 7 main colors – over 16 million supported colors, plus warm and cool white. You can choose your favourite color for each situation to surround you in your room.
- Music playing via Bluetooth – Connect to your bluetooth devices easily, and the built-in Bluetooth speaker enables you to enjoy music anywhere. Play music from the app or your usual program and have the bulb change colors automatically.
- Smart Functions – This smart light bulb can play your music, match the lights to the music, has a normal white lights mode, can adjust the brightness, can be renamed and can set a timer in the app to switch off / on. Wake up to your favourite music and color or come home with lights already switched on.
Jabra SPORT PACE Wireless Bluetooth Headset – $99.99 LINK
- Premium wireless sound and inline buttons to control music or phone calls
- Secure and comfortable fit with behind the ear wearing style and multiple sized ear gels
- Built toward US Military standards for rain, sweat, shock and dust resistance (IP54 rated)
- Rapid charge feature to provide an hour’s worth of bather life in only 15 minutes of charging. Reflective cable for early morning or nighttime usage
- Integrated training via Sport Life App to provide in-ear readouts during workouts: pace, time, distance, calories burned. Also works with most popular 3rd party sports applications.
Honor 5X Metal Body Unlocked Smartphone – Gold 16GB $199.99 LINK
- Unlocked Dual SIM LTE smartphone with three card slots. Supports nano-sim, micro-SIM, and a microSD card up to 128GB. Works with AT&T and T-Mobile Networks.
- Sleek, robust housing crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum made with four metal finishing processes.
- An accurate fast fingerprint sensor improves with time and unlocks in 0.5 Seconds. Set your fingers as shortcuts to call contacts and take photos.
- Powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop with 16GB Internal memory and 2 GB RAM. A Qualcomm 64-bit Octa-Core Processor renders a smooth, responsive experience.
- A Picture perfect 5.5-Inch, 1080P full HD display can Show off your 13MP Camera pictures with shooting modes like time-lapse, slow-motion, and perfect-selfie.
The post 14 sweet tech gifts for Valentine’s Day appeared first on AndroidGuys.
2
Feb
Sainsbury’s is prepared to pay £1.3 billion for Argos
Sainsbury’s mission to expand its non-food empire has been given a big boost after it agreed terms on a £1.3 billion bid for Argos owner Home Retail Group. With its latest proposal, the supermarket, which had an earlier offer believed to be around the £1 billion mark turned down, now has until February 23rd to decide whether it wants to make everything official.
The grocery chain is buying Argos to serve customers “wherever and whenever they want to shop.” Sainsbury’s already hosts a small number of Argos outlets inside its stores, but wants to capitalize on its partner’s same-day delivery network to fight back against supermarket rivals like Ocado, but also Amazon, which is said to be readying its own fresh food delivery service.
If a deal is agreed, Sainsbury’s believes it could reduce costs by as much as £120 million. However, it forecasts that it would need to spend £140 million converting stores and merging the brands (like Dixons Carphone is now doing with the Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse brands). There’s also the possibility that Sainsbury’s will ditch the Argos brand altogether, giving it a bigger footprint than both John Lewis and M&S on the High Street.
Source: Sainsbury’s (PDF)
1
Feb
Amazon inks deal with Mattel for American Girl TV specials
If your little one is a fan of Mattel’s American Girl dolls, you may want to consider a Prime membership. Or at least make sure yours doesn’t expire anytime soon. Amazon announced a deal today with the toy maker for production of four live-action specials based on the brand’s characters. What’s more, the online retailer has the option to produce “multiple seasons of episodic content,” too. This means that in addition to the popular dolls making an appearance in the specials, the dolls could star a new kids series on the way as well.
“American Girl resonates strongly with kids and parents alike through its message of self-confidence, adventure, exploration and learning,” said Amazon Studios’ head of kids programming Tara Sorensen. “Their research dives deep and adds rich layers to the IP that are unparalleled in this space which, in turn, will facilitate a truly enriched on-screen experience.”
When the first American Girls special debuts in the US, UK, Australia and Germany later this year, it’ll join Amazon’s portfolio of kids content on Prime. That library includes the likes of Just Add Magic and the Emmy-nominated live-action shows Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and Annedroids. Of course, getting the specials at no added cost with a Prime subscription is about the only American Girls extra parents won’t have to pay for.
Source: Amazon
1
Feb
America is angry about Europe’s tax investigations
An eyeliner-clad official from the US treasury has traveled to Brussels to scream leave Google alone! at their European counterparts. International tax chief Robert Stack has accused the European Union of unfairly targeting American tech companies in its recent clampdown on tax avoidance. The continent has begun investigating “sweetheart” deals between firms like Facebook and Apple after it was revealed how little tax they actually pay. Stack, however, feels that he’s got to go to bat for the homegrown champions, and that the money Europe is going after isn’t theirs to claim.
America’s biggest tech companies make enormous piles of money from their operations across the pond, but don’t seem that concerned about paying tax. The UK, for instance, recently celebrated a deal with Google to pay $185 million on back taxes of revenue of $24 billion that it makes in the country. It was pleased to be able to offer the search engine a 3 percent rate of corporation tax, a far cry from the 21 percent rate that UK businesses must pay. Similarly, Italy fined Apple $347 million for irregularities in its tax accounting, despite being owed closer to $961 million over the past few years.
Many of these companies base their European HQs in Ireland, which has a significantly lower tax rate than many of the countries in the union. A quirk of the local laws means that firms can push their profits offshore without having to pay any tax on them at all. These sort of deals, however, are illegal under Europe’s rules preventing countries to give companies based there a leg-up over rivals, and will be closed before 2020. It means that further investigations into US’ firms tax affairs are inevitable, with Facebook likely next to be probed.
Much like a pair of neighbors who have lived together for a little too long, the US and Europe are letting old hostilities come to the forefront. Robert Stack’s appearance in Brussels comes amid a series of rows about the role and powers that American tech companies have. For instance, Google is currently being investigated on two different counts of antitrust dealings surrounding Android as well as Google Shopping. In addition, the European Court of Justice ruled that Facebook (and others) can’t move your data from Europe to the US.
Where all of this saber-rattling is likely to end, no-one knows, but we imagine this passive-aggressive war will continue for ages yet.
Source: Financial Times
1
Feb
HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones: review
The days of wired headphones are limited with more options of Bluetooth headsets. I’ve been using the HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones for the last two weeks and honestly had low expectations. They are currently priced at just $26.99 with free 2-day shipping at Amazon.com, and with my experience in headphones, you normally get what you pay for. But in rare cases, you sometimes get so much more than you were expecting, and that’s what I got with the HAVIT wireless sport headphones.
Design
At first inspection, the HAVIT wireless sport headphones don’t really look “sporty”. They are not brightly colored nor do they look small. You get two earpieces which are about the size of a two U.S. Nickles and are connected by a single cable with a rubber coating. The two earpieces are made from plastic, and the right earpiece is the one that contains the brains – the volume up/down buttons, on/off switch, charging port and Bluetooth connection button. The left earpiece is identical in design, it just doesn’t have any built in controls.
On the right earpiece you will also find the tiny holes that house the dual microphones that allow you to make wireless calls. There is absolutely nothing fascinating about the design, but they are actually very well built. The buttons are in logical places, seams match up quite nicely, and the charging port is accessible and out of the way from any potential sweat that may harm the headphones if you were to wear them while working out.
And although they look large, there are small protruding earpieces which fit directly into your ear canal. And those earpieces are actually rather light weight.
Usage
Honestly I wasn’t expecting much when it came to sound quality. But with my first listening attempt with Charlie Puth’s Marvin Gaye, I was instantly surprised at how great these Bluetooth headphones performed. In the YouTube video of Charlie Puth’s song, it opens up with a drum scene and my ears could instantly feel the drum roll. And then the music comes to life with a full range of bass, decent mids, and clear highs.
Bluetooth music suffers to its wired counterpart when it comes to sound quality, but the gap is getting much smaller as time progresses. What helps sound quality dramatically is the type of seal you get with the earpieces. The HAVIT wireless sport headphones block out almost all outside sound with the silicon tips it provides out of the box. They’re extremely comfortable and can be worn for hours. I know they can because I wore them on a two and a half hour flight last week. With the great seal and improvement in Bluetooth technology, the sound is actually really great and most importantly these headphones are fun to listen to.
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I also was not expecting much in terms of call quality. The microphones are built into the right earpiece so you won’t have a mic hanging down in front of your face which is nice. In my recent experience with wireless headsets, I haven’t had much luck with superior call quality.
Until now. HAVIT uses Bluetooth 4.1 and CVC 6.0 noise cancellation technology which actually works well. While walking my dog and while hanging out with her at the dog park I took a few calls to give this tech a try. I asked my test subjects if I sounded loud and clear, and all four of them answered with a unanimous yes.
My only real complaint with these headphones is the volume doesn’t get as loud as I sometimes need. Gyms can be very loud at times with music blasting in the background, weights clanking, and with people talking. It can sometimes push my volume needs a little beyond what most people would listen to, and to a level that probably isn’t good for my ears. But when I work out I need to block out all outside sound. There were times when I could still hear outside noise which sometimes left me desiring more volume.
Other than that, the battery life is great at five to six hours of use, build quality is better than I expected, and the light-weight is a great factor when wearing these. They feel no heavier than my custom in ear monitors and are comfortable to use.
Specifications:
Bluetooth version: V4.1 + EDR
Operating Range: 10M
Talk time: about 6.5h
Charging length: about 2h
Music Duration: about 6h
Voice prompts: Support
Channel: two-channel stereo
Support Agreement: A2DP / HFP / HSP / AVRVP
Functions: answer / end / reject / redial, mute, volume control / switch songs, multi-point links, music, noise cancelling
Charger Port: Micro USB
Summary
For $26.99 the HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones are an absolute steal. I definitely was not expecting much with the price I paid, but was happily surprised that the headphones offer exceptional sound with a high quality build. Materials were nothing to write home about, but everything else was worthy. If you are on a budget, or if you don’t want to waste money on a good set of headphones to use at the gym or on a run, I can highly recommend the HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones. Especially when they are priced at just $26.99.
Check out the HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones at Amazon.com.
The post HAVIT Bluetooth 4.1 wireless sport headphones: review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
1
Feb
The all metal Snapdragon powered Honor 5X is available today for $200
Huawei wowed us at CES 2016 with its all metal, $199.99 priced, full featured Android Lollipop smartphone named the Honor 5X. Huawei is looking to bust the budget category wide open with a device that can serve all of your needs while carrying an amazing build at the same time. With smartphones under $200 we have become used to sub par displays, but the 5X comes with a full HD 1080p display found on higher end counterparts.
The Honor 5X also comes with a rear fingerprint reader that works as good as any in a gorgeous all metal body. It comes in silver, grey and black and can be found at three outlets – Amazon.com, Newegg.com, and HiHonor.com. Keep in mind the Honor 5X is designed to work with networks such as T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, and AT&T.
Device highlights:
- Diamond-polished aluminum alloy casing
- Second-generation fingerprint sensor with fast 0.5-second unlocking time
- 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x1080 resolution
- 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616, Octa-core processor
- 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard memory
- 3,000 mAh battery
- Nano SIM, Micro SIM, and microSD trays
- Google Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
The post The all metal Snapdragon powered Honor 5X is available today for $200 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
31
Jan
U.S. consumers can now buy the Honor 5X for $199
Many people have waited years, but the day is finally here. Honor, the sub-brand owned by Huawei, has released its very first phone in the United States. The Honor 5X can be bought from Honor, Amazon, and Newegg for just $199.
This first push from Honor in the United States is a lighter one as the Honor 5X is a modest device. The Honor 5X has a 5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, 13MP / 5MP cameras, 3000mAh battery, and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (with Marshmallow on the way) sitting behind the company’s EMUI software overlay. Honor also included a fingerprint scanner on the rear to enhance security. Everything the Honor 5X has is wrapped in a metallic body inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in Spain.
Honor is hoping the $199 off-contract price attracts consumers seeking to get a good value without carrier limitations. For now though, the issue seems to be availability. While Honor and Newegg still have units in stock and remain on schedule, Amazon is seeing high demand (or maybe there was just little inventory). Dark Grey and Daybreak Silver color options are delayed at Amazon, with the latter not shipping for 5 to 8 weeks. The Sunset Gold color option is the only Honor 5X model in stock and ready to ship right away from Amazon’s warehouses.
If you’re seeking to get a good bonus out of buying the Honor 5X, get the phone from Newegg because the online retailer is throwing in a free 32GB microSD card. But you may want to stick with getting the phone from Honor itself because of the official accessories offered there. Two sets of earphones are available in addition to the flipcover case. Honor is also selling its Honor Band Z1 right now for $79.
Congrats to Honor (and Huawei) on making it to the United States! We wish them luck.
Come comment on this article: U.S. consumers can now buy the Honor 5X for $199
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31
Jan
Amazon’s Audible stocks up on original radio programming
Amazon really wants you to listen to its podcast and audio-book service, Audible. And it’s hoping to win you over by grabbing comedians like Maria Bamford and folks from the public radio and podcast world for original content, according to Bloomberg. Audible’s also looking to fill some 100 jobs around the world (there’s a recruiting fair in New Jersey next week), looking for software engineers, designers, lawyers and a slew of writers. In so many words, Jeff Bezos and Co. are working to separate Audible from the myriad other places you can find podcasts and audio books by creating exclusive programming for its a la carte and $14.95 per-month subscription service.
Bloomberg purports that this could be a natural fit for the Echo speaker, and that’s a pretty logical connection to make. Think about it this way: Amazon’s in the business of selling people stuff that makes it easier to consume its products. Could the Echo be the online shopping juggernaut’s audio version of the Kindle for ebooks or Kindle Fire HD tablet for its Prime Video service? This move puts the needle closer to “yes” than it does any other direction.
Source: Bloomberg
30
Jan
Today’s best unlocked Android phone deals on Amazon (Jan. 30th)
The days where we walk into a carrier store to purchase a subsidized smartphone are fading. This trend, bundled with the aggressive prices that we’re beginning to see in unlocked phones, makes purchasing a phone full price a more viable option in the mobile market.
Amazon is where a majority of us go to find the best prices of merchandise, therefore, we’ve complied a list of great unlocked smartphone deals you can find there today. Let’s check out what you can save on!
- Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB – $467 (savings of $182)
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 16GB – $355 (savings of $245)
- LG Nexus 5X 16GB – $299 (savings of $80)
- HTC Desire Eye 16GB – $199 (savings of $120)
- Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 16GB (GSM, LTE) – $199 (savings of $100)
- Huawei P8 Lite (GSM, LTE) – $183 (savings of $66)
- BLU Vivo Air (GSM, LTE) – $149 (savings of $49)
- Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime DUOS 8GB – $147 (savings of $152)
- HTC Desire 610 (GSM, LTE) 8GB – $133 (savings of $166)
- BLU Studio Energy 2 (GSM, LTE) – $129 (savings of $50)
- BLU Studio 6.0 HD (GSM) – $118 (savings of $70)
- BLU Life One (GSM, LTE) 8GB – $99 (savings of $50)
- Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen) 8GB – $99 (savings of $80)
- Motorola Moto G (Verizon) – $59 (savings of $40)
- Motorola Moto E (Verizon, LTE) – $47 (savings of $152)
Bear in mind that these particular prices are at the time of writing. Amazon changes its prices frequently. Also, different smartphone colors often have different prices, and there may be limited quantities.
Happy Android shopping!
The post Today’s best unlocked Android phone deals on Amazon (Jan. 30th) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 