Aviate’s ‘Smart Stream’ is Yahoo’s version of Google Now
Yahoo has given Aviate its first major makeover since acquiring it in 2014, completely replacing its contextual panel called “Spaces” with a new feature called “Smart Stream.” This “stream” surfaces different cards throughout the day, depending on your location and activity. Sound familiar? Yep, the company might not admit it, but it’s obviously Mayer and team’s answer to Google Now. According to its official announcement, a card can pop up with nearby restos once you walk into a different city or town. It can also show live scores of games you’ve been waiting for and can put music apps to the top of the app list when you plug in a pair of headphones. Unfortunately, a quick peek at the reviews on Google Play shows that a lot of users aren’t happy with the drastic change — one reviewer even exclaimed “We don’t need another Google Now!” After all, people who do like Google Now will use it instead of something that looks like it.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Yahoo, Google Play
YouTube app for Android and iOS now supports 60 FPS playback
Google’s been systematically rolling out high frame rate (HFR) video — that’s 60 frames per second — across its YouTube ecosystem for a couple of months now. HFR debuted on standard videos last October. It hit YT’s live streaming service in May and today Google announced that the YouTube mobile app for both iOS and Android will now feature 60 FPS playback. Now you’ll be able to follow Far Cry 4 walkthroughs on your mobile device with the same silky smooth playback that you see on your TV.
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google
Source: Google
VPNs may not protect your information as well as you think
VPNs (virtual private networks) are a popular choice for sidestepping censorship and geographic restrictions on services like Netflix with more than 20 percent of Europeans using them. However, researchers at the Queen Mary, University of London recently examined 14 of the region’s most popular VPN providers and found nearly all of them leaked information about their users to some degree. These leaks ranged from minor, ie what site you visited, to major infractions including the actual content of your communications.
The researchers believe this vulnerability is due to network operators updating to the new IPV6 protocol while the 11 leaking VPNs still only support IPV4 traffic. It should be noted, however, that sites using HTTPS were immune to the team’s hacking attempts — both passive traffic sniffing and active DNS hijacks. Additionally, the team found that VPNs running on iOS devices leaked far less info than their counterparts on Android.
“There are a variety of reasons why someone might want to hide their identity online and it’s worrying that they might be vulnerable despite using a service that is specifically designed to protect them,” Dr Gareth Tyson, the study’s co-author, said in a statement. “We’re most concerned for those people trying to protect their browsing from oppressive regimes. They could be emboldened by their supposed anonymity while actually revealing all their data and online activity and exposing themselves to possible repercussions.”
[Image Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto]
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google
Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Meizu announces the all new MX5
Meizu is all set to bring the latest iteration of its MX series into the smartphone market. Meizu just unveiled the all new MX5. The new handset offers flagship spec’s at pretty low end price.
Meizu MX5 is equipped with a 5.5 inch FullHD AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla glass for protection. The handset comes with 16/32/64GB internal storage options. With 3GB of RAM, this handset will be powerful enough to hold all type of multitasking and gaming. The whole package is driven by MediaTek’s MT6795T Helio X10 processor coupled with the PowerVR G6200 GPU.
In the optics department, the handset features 20.7-megapixel rear facing camera and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. The rear facing camera is also equipped with laser-aided focus which will result in better low light performance. The camera is also capable of recording videos in 4k and slo-mo upto 100-fps at 720p.
The all-new MX5 also features fingerprint sensor in front, just like the one in the MX Pro. However, the sensor has been upgraded to version 2.0, bringing speed and accuracy to fingerprint detection. The company also improved security on software level. Meizu has also included fast charging capabilities which brings the device to 60% in just 40 minutes. The handset is a dual-sim phone, with 4G LTE enabled on both of the sim slots.
The MX5 also boasts unibody metal design and is just 7.6mm thin.The device will be running company’s own skin i.e FlymeOS 4.5 on top of Android Lollipop. Meizu MX5 is available in silver, dark grey and champagne gold colors, starting at just CNY 1800 ($290) for the base 16GB model, CNY 1,999 ($322) for 32GB model and the 64GB model will set you back for CNY 2,399 ($390).
The post Meizu announces the all new MX5 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Top Android devices speed test: the winner is clear
There’s a reason Samsung just became the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S thanks to their Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices; they just got pitted up against the best smartphones available on the market right now, and it was a whitewash.
Except for 3 categories, the Galaxy S6 ranked first in all the other benchmark and tests. The only ones it didn’t win in was the Camera Open Time and Basemark OSII Memory, where it placed 2nd, and the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, where it placed 3rd.
The sheer speed and performance of the Galaxy S6 is clear that it is the best Android smartphone you can buy on the market, in terms of raw performance. Experience may be another story.
When it comes to experience, the HTC One M9 takes the crown, at least on paper. Yet more argument for TouchWiz optimisation on the Galaxy S6 to further compliment the performance it is clearly capable of.
What else is significantly clear from the speed test performed is that the Snapdragon 810 is as much of a disappointment as expected.
What do you think of the results? Are you surprised? Drop us a comment below to let us know your thoughts.
VIA: SAM Mobile
The post Top Android devices speed test: the winner is clear appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Galaxy S6 sales help Samsung to leapfrog Apple in the U.S market
Thanks to Samsung, and somewhat to LG with the G3, Android’s share of the U.S market rose by 2.8 percent to 64.9 percent during the three-month period ending in May. Not only this, but Samsung had such a good time with their Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge sales that the company have overtaken Apple to regain the lead of the U.S smartphone market.
We’ve already heard how well the Galaxy S6 is meeting internal targets, and this has help the company leapfrog their direct competitor.
The story is all good news across the pond, however, with Android market share dropping by 2.9 percent across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain combined, where the Apple made iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus continues to rise.
“Britain remains the iOS stronghold, forcing Android vendors to rely more on winning customers from Apple than from other Android players,” said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar. “In the three months ending in May, only 5% of new Android buyers came from Apple, compared to 11% for the same period in 2014.”
Of course, Android has market saturation over iOS, so the distribution numbers of subjective, but for Samsung to overtake Apple as the most popular smartphone manufacturer in the U.S is quite a feat, one that will certainly not go unnoticed from Samsung’s rivals.
SOURCE: Kantar Worldpanel ComTech
The post Galaxy S6 sales help Samsung to leapfrog Apple in the U.S market appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Candymon review: sugar crazed monsters unleashed
Participating in one of my favorite hobbies, casual gaming, on Android is a tough task to achieve. As a casual gamer, I need a fun and intriguing game that is challenging, although not too challenging, and has a high replayability factor. In Sugar Land, where Candymon is set, you’re tasked to be a hero in a colourful, fun, endless-flyer adventure to free cute monsters locked away by evil magic.
Gameplay
In order to play Candymon, you have to use two hands (use both your thumbs) to control your monsters flying. The objective is to feed your monster candy. Candy monsters earn a heart after each candy they eat. Hearts increase the monster’s stamina, and when stamina is at full power, Candymons go on a sugar rush and transform into gigantic flying monsters and wreck stuff! That may sound easy, but you have to be careful not to run into bombs, shooters, and more obstacles.
Upgrades in this game apply to weapons, furniture, clothing accessories and more. You can earn upgrades in the game or by good old-fashioned in-app purchases ranging from $0.99-$49.99
Graphics
Candymon took over 2 years to be completed. Time and patience paid off, as the game is colorful, detailed, and crisp. I couldn’t help but from time to time think of Vanellope from Wreck-it Ralph while playing this game due to the candies and vibrant colors. The controls are easy to use and stay out of the way. The monsters are creative cartoon-y enabling an interesting game-play while propelling side-to-side in the air.
Replayability
The immersive colors, monsters, goals, and smooth game play contribute to Candymon being a game that you can play leisurely or play for hours.
| What we liked | What Needs Improvement |
|---|---|
| Beautiful Graphics | More Levels |
| Addictive Game-play | Redundant game-play |
| Creative Cartoony Characters | |
Overall
The casual gaming category is jam-packed with content. Yet, Candymon manages to fly away from the competition. Candymon is entertaining with colors popping off the screen beautifully. Immersed with challenging game play and goals that are just fun enough to keep even the most casual gamer playing for hours.
The post Candymon review: sugar crazed monsters unleashed appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Pushbullet’s share-everything app gets true messaging
Pushbullet is already a secret weapon for getting content from one device (or one person) to another — you can relay your links, notifications, photos and SMS messages with a common app. Today, though, it’s getting considerably more powerful. As part of a revamp, Pushbullet’s desktop, mobile and web apps are turning into true messaging apps, with easy replies and a quick way to find “pushes” (chats and shared content) from your friends. On Windows, it’ll even give you Facebook-style chat heads that keep conversations close at hand. Effectively, Pushbullet is blurring the lines between sharing and messaging — you don’t have to switch apps to talk to a friend after you’re done sending a photo to your phone. All of the updates are available now, so you can give this all-encompassing app a shot right away.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile
Via: The Next Web, The Verge
Source: Pushbullet Blog
Amazon brings one-hour Prime deliveries to London
When it comes to new services, Amazon is a predictable beast: it’ll launch something in the US first and then bring it over to the UK once it’s ironed out all of the creases. That’s exactly what’s happening with Prime Now, the company’s one-hour delivery service, which comes to London today after six months of operation in the US.
Prime Now offers up to 10,000 products from groceries to electronics, all of which are stockpiled in Amazon’s local fulfilment centre in East London. To take advantage of 60-minute deliveries, you’ll need to download the separate Prime Now app (available on both iOS and Android), add the products you simply can’t wait to receive and then agree to pay the £6.99 shipment charge. If you can wait an extra hour, Amazon will ship your items for free when you choose a two-hour delivery slot between 8am and midnight during any day of the week.
Amazon says that it will make deliveries using its Amazon Logistics service, which has been a bit hit-and-miss in the past. However, with a one-hour deadline, don’t be surprised if couriers may take the Tube in order to get your package to you in time. While it’s currently based in East London and serving a select number of inner-London postcodes, Amazon expects to “reach all of London and additional UK cities by the end of the year.” To get you settled, the retailer is offering £20 off your first £50 order — all you have to do is enter LONDONNOW at the checkout.
Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Internet, Mobile, Amazon
Source: Amazon Prime Now
Amazon brings one-hour Prime deliveries to London
When it comes to new services, Amazon is a predictable beast: it’ll launch something in the US first and then bring it over to the UK once it’s ironed out all of the creases. That’s exactly what’s happening with Prime Now, the company’s one-hour delivery service, which comes to London today after six months of operation in the US.
Prime Now offers up to 10,000 products from groceries to electronics, all of which are stockpiled in Amazon’s local fulfilment centre in East London. To take advantage of 60-minute deliveries, you’ll need to download the separate Prime Now app (available on both iOS and Android), add the products you simply can’t wait to receive and then agree to pay the £6.99 shipment charge. If you can wait an extra hour, Amazon will ship your items for free when you choose a two-hour delivery slot between 8am and midnight during any day of the week.
Amazon says that it will make deliveries using its Amazon Logistics service, which has been a bit hit-and-miss in the past. However, with a one-hour deadline, don’t be surprised if couriers may take the Tube in order to get your package to you in time. While it’s currently based in East London and serving a select number of inner-London postcodes, Amazon expects to “reach all of London and additional UK cities by the end of the year.” To get you settled, the retailer is offering £20 off your first £50 order — all you have to do is enter LONDONNOW at the checkout.
Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Internet, Mobile, Amazon
Source: Amazon Prime Now
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