Google releases new Android Wear video just in time for all the masses interested in a smartwatch
Google has released another video in their be together.not the same. campaign today titled Android: Wear what you want, this time highlighting the many options buyers have in smartwatches running Android Wear. It is almost like they think there is going to be a lot of interest in smartwatches today. The video takes a quick run through a variety of Android Wear powered smartwatches showing the different shapes and how different watch faces are available. You can check out the video after the break.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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Ahead of Apple Watch event, Google debuts new Android Wear ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMB2LbpHVxk
As many of you likely know already, today is the day that Apple is expected to unveil the full details for the Apple Watch. It is still unclear exactly how well the watch will do on the market, but Google certainly doesn’t want us to forget about Android Wear in all the kerfuffle. That’s why, less than an hour before the Apple Watch event, Google has now released the latest Android Wear ad.
The ad showcases a variety of different AW watches, worn by folks with all sorts of different fashions. As you’d expect, it ends with the Google’s recent “Be together. Not the same” moniker. As for the Apple Watch, do you think Apple’s first smartwatch will drastically change the game? Should Google and its partners be worried, or is it more likely the other way around?
The Huawei Watch will cost $1000, according to premature Amazon posting
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: the Huawei Watch is a beautiful smartwatch. Despite its beauty, however, we’ve recently been hearing that the device is going to cost around $1000, which when compared to existing smartwatches, is a gargantuan sum of money. And this has seemingly been reinforced today by an Amazon listing […]
The post The Huawei Watch will cost $1000, according to premature Amazon posting appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
The Huawei Watch is michievously priced at €999/$1083 on Amazon.de pre-order page
A few days ago, we ran a story refuting the rumour that the Huawei Watch might be retailing for $1000. However, Amazon.de now has the Huawei Watch available to pre-order for €999 ($1083), which is an eye-watering amount to spend for an Android Wear smartwatch. As you can probably tell though, all is not as it seems.
Unsurprisingly, this (€999/$1083) pre-order price is just a placeholder, as alluded to by the Important Note from Amazon on the listing page:
“There is no suggested retail price of pages of the manufacturer. The Amazon selling price can therefore change.”
It’s something that Amazon often do with pre-order items, placing wildly unrealistic price tags on items with no official retail value so that the online retailer isn’t out of pocket when the actual price is revealed. It’s just a matter of waiting for Huawei to announce an official price for the smartwatch. Whatever the official price for the Huawei Watch turns out to be, it’s extremely doubtful that it will be priced anywhere near the $1000 figure. Even the gold variant with its 3 ounces of 24-karat gold will be much, much cheaper than that.
Source: Amazon.de
Come comment on this article: The Huawei Watch is michievously priced at €999/$1083 on Amazon.de pre-order page
PSA: Android Wear devices will automatically update for Daylight Saving Time
In regions that use Daylight Saving Time (DST), users of Android Wear devices have nothing special to do. The platform will automatically jump ahead at 2:00AM rather than requiring manual setup. Google says that it wants users to focus on updating their watch faces for the spring season.
Any specific watch faces you’ve been using? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Android (Google+)
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5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week:
- NVIDIA is launching GRID game streaming in May. This will allow you to play PC games on your NVIDIA Shield and Shield Tablet and be like the Netflix for games.
- Tinder Plus is now available for those who want to pay for the dating service. Paid customers extra features but beware, the price will be higher if you’re over 30!
- Waze has been inducted into the Google Mobile Services package which means it is now an official Google app and will likely eventually be pre-installed on devices.
- Mortal Kombat X has been announced for Android and it will be here sometime in April.
- Google Play is celebrating its third birthday with a huge sale of apps, games, music, and movies. Happy birthday Google Play!
If you want to see more headlines, app updates, and app releases, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! I curate it myself every week and include all of the best Android apps news, updates, and releases. Click the button below if you’re interested.
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BBM
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Blackberry Messenger got a huge update this last week. With it came myriad improvements to channels, photo sending, picture previews, in-chat playback of voice notes, and the ability to customize your PIN if you subscribe. Along with all of that comes Android Wear support which is surprisingly forward thinking for an app that almost became totally irrelevant years ago. The update is out now if you want it.
Zombie Highway 2
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Zombie Highway was a huge success when it first came out a couple of years ago and we expect Zombie Highway 2 to continue that proud tradition. It uses many of the same mechanics as the first game, but includes improved graphics and sound effects, nitro, new cars, new weapons, new zombies, and more. The in app purchases are also surprisingly reasonable. The only downside are the release day bugs so you may need to wait a week or so for everything to get ironed out.
Alphadia Genesis 2
[Price: $9.99 ($4.99 on sale now) with in app purchases]
Alphadia Genesis 2 is the latest game out of Kemco Games who are known as one of the best jRPG studios on Android. This is a jRPG with a decently long story line, better than average graphics, and some unique battle mechanics. It uses a job system for character customization and the company promises that in app purchases are not required to finish the game. There are some release day bugs so do beware of that.
AutoWear
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
AutoWear is a new Android Wear application that allows you to create tasks in Tasker and then use them on your Android Wear devices. Using this app, you can a bunch of fun things with your watch and control it in ways you previously couldn’t. Some of the things you can do is create customized notifications, create interactive screens, utilize improved voice commands, and more. There is a free trial so you can try it before you buy it.
King of Thieves
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Last up this week is King of Thieves. This is a game out of Zeptolabs, known for their hit Cut the Rope franchise. In this platformer style game, you must dodge defenses and steal gold coins from other players, then build your own level to defend your gold against them. You can also join guilds, engage with leaderboards, and some extra stuff like costumes. It’s a different kind of platformer and worth a shot.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, let us know in the comments!
Base model of the Huawei Watch will not cost $1,000
Earlier this week, a rumor began to spread that stated Huawei would charge $1,000 for its upcoming smartwatch. Having such a high price disappointed and shocked many people as other Android Wear devices stay around $300 and below. The Huawei Watch does feature a premium look and feel; however, $1,000 seemed far too high.
Fortunately, it will not cost that much for consumers to bring home the Huawei Watch as the company commented on pricing concerns.
There will be a base model of the Huawei Watch that will be more accessible to consumers. Through a Huawei representative speaking to 9to5Google, we learned that “$1,000 is definitely out of range of what the base model will cost.” The three variants of the Huawei Watch — black, stainless steel, and gold — will likely have noticeable differences in price. The gold variant has three ounces of 24-karat gold; therefore, black and stainless steel variants will be the more affordable options.
Via: 9to5Google
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Motorola’s Rick Osterloh says no fingerprint scanner on next Moto X and no e-ink on next Moto 360
Motorola was one of the first companies to slap a fingerprint scanner on a smartphone, but they are reluctant to do it now. The original Atrix from 2011 had one, but Motorola President Rick Osterloh says the technology is still too inconsistent for their devices.
Osterloh thinks it’s just as fast to tap your finger to unlock a device as it is to swipe for a fingerprint. He also said that when the reader fails, the customer is turned off and that “All of the fingerprint readers are unreliable.” That’s pretty bold when you consider that Apple’s Touch ID works very well, Of course, it remains to be seen how well Samsung’s new touch sensor on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge work in everyday life, but early reports are that it’s pretty promising.
As to the Moto 360, it was heralded as the best of the best for smartwatches for a while, but new offerings from Huawei and LG are changing that. Even Pebble is stepping up their game with the Pebble Time Steel. How does Motorola plan to stay at the top? Osterloh said that they will invest heavily in software and experiences. One such app is Moto Body, which helps users with fitness and diet tracking. They will also bring Moto Maker customizations to the Moto 360 by the end of March. Lastly, don’t expect an e-ink version of the Moto 360 anytime soon. Just get rid of the flat tire and give me an Always On display with proper battery life, and all we be well.
source: CNet
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LG G3, Moto 360, Moto E claim top spots in 2015 Global Mobile Awards
Although much of the attention at MWC 2015 is on the devices being announced at the event or sneak peaks of technology planned for later in the year, the hosts, GSMA, take some time to recognize outstanding products from the prior year with their Global Mobile Awards. For 2015, Android devices proved to be formidable participants in the market. Perhaps most notable is the recognition of the LG G3 as Best Smartphone along with Apple’s iPhone 6. It was not long ago that LG barely even registered in the smartphone market, but the company started to make a big push first with the LG G2 and then last year’s successor the LG G3. Their willingness to break with some tradition, like placement of buttons, and trying to produce an attractive, quality product have paid off with the award.
Although many in the tech industry will be paying attention to Apple next week and the anticipated release of the Apple Watch, Google and their partner Android device manufacturers have been in the wearables market for some time now. The fact that they have been able to go through a couple iterations of smartwatches and refine the experience helped lead to the the Motorola Moto 360 this past year. GSMA recognized the smartwatch as the Best Wearable Mobile Tech for 2015.
One other Android device snagged an award, this one also coming from Motorola. The Moto E was named the Best Low Cost Smartphone.
GSMA recognizes products in a wide range of categories that may be of interest to mobile users. A couple pieces of software may be noteworthy for Android users who want to check out the best software they could run on their devices according to the GSMA. For gamers, Asphalt 8:Airborne was selected as the Best Mobile Game App. The Judges’ Choice – Best Overall Mobile App went to IFTTT, which recently rebranded itself as IF in conjunction with its new DO framework.
source: GSMA
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Hyundai releases their Blue Link Android Wear app into the Google Play Store
The car company Hyundai released their Android Wear app Blue Link onto the Google Play Store. With the app, you can connect to your Blue Link enabled car which gives you access to Blue Link features anywhere you’re at such as your home or office. Here’s what you can do with the app:
- 1. Remotely start your vehicle (R)
- 2. Remotely unlock or lock the door (R)
- 3. Remotely activate the horn and lights (R)
- 4. Search and send Points of Interest to your vehicle (G)
- 5. Access saved POI History (G)
- 6. Make a Car Care service appointment
- 7. Access Blue Link Customer Care
- 8. Car Finder (R)
- 9. Access maintenance information and other convenient features.
Hyundai Blue Link app now supports Android Wear Smartwatch features. Use voice command or Smartwatch menu to access select features. With the Hyundai Blue Link Android Wear App you can:
- 1. Remotely start your vehicle (R)
- 2. Remotely unlock or lock the door (R)
- 3. Remotely activate the horn and lights (R)
- 4. Car Finder (R)
- 5. Call Blue link (Smartphone)
- 6. Call Roadside (Smartphone)
Check out the link below for a QR code and Play Store download link!
Come comment on this article: Hyundai releases their Blue Link Android Wear app into the Google Play Store
AIVAnet 