Google Play encryption bug is blocking paid apps from using Android Wear
If you ordered one of the Android Wear devices Google showed off last month, you’ll want to keep an eye out for updates: the wearables aren’t playing well with paid apps. Normally, Wear apps are downloaded from Google Play alongside an app’s handset component, installing automatically over Bluetooth to a paired Wear device — but the wearable component of paid apps just aren’t transferring. According to Android Police the problem lies in Google’s app encryption measures, a sort of copy-protection system enacted to keep pirates at bay. For whatever reason, Android Wear devices simply aren’t able to find Wear apps in encrypted packages. It’s a small bug but it’s also a major issue, effectively blocking all paid apps from taking advantages of Google’s new platform. Hopefully Mountain View will issue a fix before too long.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source: Android Police
LG’s G3 and G Watch are coming to AT&T on July 11th
Sprint and T-Mobile may have been the first big US carriers to announce launch plans for LG’s G3 smartphone, but they won’t be the first to actually carry it. AT&T has revealed that both the G3 and the Android Wear-based G Watch will reach its stores on July 11th, with online orders beginning on the 8th. In both cases, pricing is par for the course. You’ll pay $199 on contract for the G3, or $29 per month in one year’s worth of Next installments; the G Watch will cost you $229 up front. The AT&T-native G3 doesn’t particularly stand out (unless you really, really like Big Blue’s logo), but it may be your best bet if you just have to get a quad HD-capable Android phone as quickly as possible.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, AT&T, LG
Source: AT&T
A proper Nokia Lumia device running Android is coming our way, report says
We’ve all heard this rumor before, we’ve heard it numerous times in fact. All that hope and then we get Nokia X which is an abomination of sorts, not an Android device, hence the use of “proper” in the title. Abomination might be a strong word, but Nokia X is neither a Windows Phone nor an Andriod device. It looks like a WP and it is run by extremely limited Android platform which lacks some basic Google apps and it’s an entry level phone. Anyhow, we’re not here to talk about Nokia X.
When Microsoft bought Nokia it was hard to believe they’d ever release an Android powered handset. You might recall that Nokia X was also launched before that deal closed, although Microsoft did introduce Nokia X2 afterwards, so that did leave us some hope I guess.
Well, a known leaker @evleaks shared something rather interesting with us today. @evelaks is usually right so we decided to give this leak some attention. He teased us with the following sentence:
“Big news: Android-powered Lumia incoming, from Nokia by Microsoft”
Unfortunately we don’t get any more details when it comes to this leak, but this is still something. You might notice he mentions “Lumia” in that sentence, which leads us to believe this won’t be another Nokia X-like device but a proper Android offering by Microsoft-owned Nokia brand.
I don’t know about you, but we’re very, very excited about all this. As I said, this leaker has an amazing track record, so he definitely did get our hopes up. How about you, do you think this will ever happen and would you buy an Android-powered flagship Lumia device, presuming they don’t mess with Android on a core level?
Source: @evleaks
The post A proper Nokia Lumia device running Android is coming our way, report says appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Vertu launches ‘Bentley’ collection of luxury smartphones
What happens when two British luxury brands make a baby? In the case of phone maker Vertu and automaker Bentley, the pair have just announced that they are working on “Vertu for Bentley” phones — with the first one due in October, followed by four more models over the course of the five-year exclusive partnership (sorry, no more love for Ferrari). There’s little info on what to expect here at the moment; all we know is that these special edition devices — presumably running on Android with nice specs à la Signature Touch — will offer exclusive Bentley content to their users, and that they “will be jointly designed by the Vertu and Bentley design teams, based on a relationship that goes far deeper than the utilisation of materials and cues on design.” Jeez, get a room, you two.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Nokia by Microsoft may have an Android-powered Lumia device on the Way
Remember when we thought the Android-powered Nokia X was going to be Nokia‘s last hurrah before being completely consumed by Microsoft? Well, it looks like Android may still be playing a big part of Nokia’s ongoing future under its new omnipotent leader. Everybody’s favourite leaker, @evleaks, has today suggested that there will be a Android-powered Lumia device to come from the newly branded Nokia by Microsoft division.
This is probably most surprising as it was assumed that Microsoft had let Nokia continue with the Nokia X line of devices as an entry level package to help pull people towards Windows Phones, but having an Android-powered device among its most premium devices would be a revelation. It would likely be yet another forked version of Android, utilizing Nokia’s slowly growing Nokia Apps marketplace, though that does open up the possibility of being able to root and flash custom ROMs onto hardware that would otherwise be impossible to access for Android users. Just imagine a Nokia 1020 running Android…
Still, we still have to see whether this actually comes to pass, but it’s definitely something to look out for in the future. What do you think about the possibility of an Android-powered Lumia device? Would you be interested?
Source: @evleaks
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South Korea makes it easier to get refunds for Android and iOS apps
If you’ve ever been burned by downloading a mobile app that you don’t want or doesn’t work, relief may be in sight… so long as you’re in South Korea, at least. The country’s Fair Trade Commission has ordered both Apple and Google to make their app refund policies more consumer-friendly. To start, Apple must make it easier to claim refunds on in-app purchases; if your kid goes wild buying in-game items, you should have an easier time getting your money back. Google, meanwhile, has to let developers set their own refund terms.
There are a handful of smaller tweaks in store. Apple will have to notify shoppers whenever it alters the App Store’s terms of service, and Google must stop apps from automatically charging you the moment a trial period ends. All the new rules are limited to South Korea for now, but Apple says it might change its terms on a global level. Google isn’t considering a similar approach at this stage, but the Fair Trade Commission is hoping that it created a “ripple effect” which leads to similar policies elsewhere. If the rules do spread worldwide, that would undoubtedly be good news — you could try paid apps without the risk of being left high and dry.
[Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via: Korea Herald, MacRumors
Download and try out the new (slightly laggy) Android L Calculator
The novelty of Android L has somewhat waned over the last week (probably due to Independence Day swinging by), but that doesn’t mean that people have stopped working on ways for other people to try parts of the new previewed operating system. We’ve seen the “Heaps Up” notifications ported to devices, as well as the Android L keyboard as a standalone app for all devices (rooted or not), and today we get to take a look at the Android L calculator thanks to XDA member, virjog. According to virjog, the calculator was converted from demo code on the Polymer Project site into an apk which you can download below:
It’s not a perfect port; the calculator seems to lag quite a bit (at least, it does on my Note 2 with Android 4.4.2) and the scientific functions seems to be broken or inoperable. That said, standard arithmetic seems to be working and it’s enough to get an idea of how the new Material Design aspects have been incorporated into Android L. If you download it and manage to get it working well on your device, let us know what device you tried it on and what version of Android you have.
What do you think of Material Design so far? Do you think this is a good direction for Android to be going in? Let us know what your thoughts are.
Source: XDA
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The post Download and try out the new (slightly laggy) Android L Calculator appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Qualcomm briefly takes down Android code for CyanogenMod, Sony and itself
The Android community just got a big (if brief) scare. In the space of a few days, Qualcomm has both made and retracted a Digital Millennium Copyright Act request that took down 116 code repositories (many of them Android-focused) that were allegedly using the chip maker’s confidential technology. As it turns out, quite a few of the targets were legitimate users running the company’s open source software. And you’ll definitely recognize some of the names — the move shut down code bases maintained by the CyanogenMod custom ROM team, Sony and even Qualcomm itself. Suffice it to say that the removal would have created a lot of headaches if you wanted to modify Android for the many, many devices with Snapdragon processors.
As for the cause? Qualcomm isn’t commenting on what led to the slip-up, but it tells Android Police that it will be taking a more cautious approach from now on. In addition to closely reviewing code, it will be “reaching out collaboratively” to find a peaceful solution to any disputes before the legal notices start flying. It won’t be shocking if some of the original request recipients still find themselves in hot water, but Android tinkerers can rest easy for at least a little while.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Via: Android Police
Source: Ausdroid
Google makes sure its founders will survive a Terminator assault
The Connor family may be doing a great job preventing Skynet from becoming self-aware and declaring war on humanity, but Google apparently isn’t taking any chances. The internet giant has quietly uploaded a “killer-robots.txt” Easter egg file that tells Terminators to avoid hunting down the company’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. There’s more to this joke text than stopping murderous automatons from the movies, of course. It’s really there to mark the 20th anniversary of robots.txt, the document you put on a site to exclude pages from Google’s search crawler. However, it does make us wonder why Google didn’t see fit to save people like Andy Rubin or Sundar Pichai — surely it would expect those behind Android to get some mercy from androids.
Filed under: Robots, Internet, Google
Via: Search Engine Land, The Verge
Source: Google
Weekends with Engadget: Android Wear review, ditching social media and more!
This week, we reviewed Google’s Android Wear platform, examined a few practical steps toward ditching social media, watched a sniper hit his target without looking and took a look at the phenomenon of social media activism. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last seven days. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
How to Disappear (almost) Completely: a practical guide
Ever thought of dumping social media for a more private life? In this week’s installment of How to Disappear, Dan Cooper discusses some practical first steps toward going completely off the grid. Disclaimer: it’s incredibly difficult. You can find part one here.
Android Wear review: Taking smartwatches in the right direction
Thanks to Google’s unifying Android Wear platform, the smartwatch market is poised to explode. But does this wearable OS have the right combination of user experience and functionality to win the hearts of the masses? Read on as Brad Molen breaks down everything you need to know about Android Wear.
Windows 9 will morph to fit the device it’s running on
ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley is reporting that Microsoft’s next operating system (Windows 9) will ship as a three-in-one of sorts (desktop, tablet and mobile). Codenamed “Threshold,” the OS will recognize the hardware it’s running on and morph to the occasion.
‘Reading Rainbow’ is the most popular Kickstarter to date
After reaching over 105,000 backers this week, Reading Rainbow dethroned the original Pebble smartwatch as the most popular Kickstarter project ever. At its close on July 2nd, the endeavor had raised over five times its goal of $1 million.
What you need to know about social media activism
What do the “OccupyWallStreet” and “CancelColbert” hashtags have in common? They’re both examples of what’s been termed “social media activism.” Read on as Ben Gilbert dissects this modern form of protest and what it means to you.
Facebook used you like a lab rat and you probably don’t care
Smiles are contagious. So are depressing Facebook posts, apparently. In 2012, Zuckerberg and Co. manipulated its users’ happiness (gasp) by secretly bombarding their news feeds with waves of positive and negative stories.
NVIDIA’s Shield successor is a tablet
NVIDIA’s next Shield console might not be a “console” at all. According to a listing from the Global Certification Forum, the gaming company mistakenly leaked information about an upcoming “Shield Tablet,” including some specs.
The forgotten losers of the console wars
More than a few gaming consoles have spawned in the last 40 years, most of which you’ve probably never heard of. This week, a museum in southern Japan is opening its doors in celebration of 56 those historic (or infamous) consoles.
Watch a sniper nail his target from 500 yards without even ‘looking’ at it
What’s scarier than a regular ole’ sniper? One who doesn’t have to see the target. Armed with a futuristic targeting system and Smith Optics I/O Recon Goggles, this sharpshooter nails a target 500 yards away… while looking in another direction.
Garmin Forerunner 15 review: sports watch first, fitness tracker second
If you’re already an athlete or active jogger, Garmin’s new Forerunner 15 might be the fitness accessory you’ve been looking for. At $170 ($200 with the heart rate monitor), this somewhat bulky device combines the functionality of a sports watch with fitness tracking basics.
Filed under: Misc
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