Google, Audi to announce in-car Android plans next week, says WSJ
Google has big plans to put Android in cars, and will start by announcing a tie-up with Audi at CES 2014 next week, according to the WSJ. Its sources said that Android will power an in-car entertainment system for that automaker, which will run on hardware built directly into the car rather than your smartphone. The collaboration will also involve NVIDIA, and such a system would give you access to the same navigation, entertainment and communication functions available on your handheld device. Audi recently announced LTE for select models, and a recent report from EE Times suggested that Google’s had the automotive space squarely in its sights since Apple announced its iOS in the Car initiative. We’ll remain skeptical until we see a product demo, but it would be more surprising if Big G didn’t do something with car companies to stymie its arch-foe.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Transportation, Google, Sprint
Source: WSJ
GTA Online starts pushing user-created missions, mobile updates arrive for San Andreas and Chinatown Wars
Ready for a slew of Grand Theft Auto updates? We sure hope so. First up, developer Rockstar Games has put its stamp of approval on ten of the GTA Online community’s million-plus custom-match submissions. Because these races and deathmatches — including a NASCAR-style circuit atop a skyscraper and a melee-weapon prison-yard fight — are now Rockstar Verified, they’re available on both PS3 and Xbox 360, regardless of which platform they originated from. If your magnum opus didn’t make the first cut, relax: The outfit says there’s more verified missions coming ahead of the multiplayer heists and single player DLC due next year.
If you fancy mobile mayhem however, GTA: San Andreas‘ Grove Street Families arrived on Android late last week. Check the reviews before clicking that buy button though, performance issues and glitches have been noted even on high-end flagships like the Galaxy S4. While San Andreas‘ appearance on Google’s mobile OS may have been tardy (and buggy), it’s still MIA on Windows Phone 8 despite the simultaneous release we were expecting. Last but not least, GTA: Chinatown Wars is back on iTunes, and now compatible with iOS 7 and your iPhone 4 or 4s’ Retina display — should you favor a Liberty City built specifically for mobile gameplay to SA’s ported faux-SoCal. We’ve reached out to Rockstar about the Android issues plus a timetable for our WP8 ride with Big Smoke, and will update this post if we hear back. Until then, happy car-jacking.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Via: Joystiq
Source: iTunes, Google Play, Rockstar Newswire (1), (2)
Nike updates Training Club app to help you keep those New Year’s resolutions
You know what always comes after pigging out during the holidays: a New Year’s resolution to get fit, this time (you swear!) for sure. Well, Nike’s hoping to kickstart your quest to fitness by updating its Nike Training Club (N+TC) apps for Android and iOS. New features include the ability to customize exercise routines, as well as earn reward content and sharable milestones whenever you reach a goal. Nike has also added six new exercise videos (of athletes and celeb trainers) to its archive of more than a hundred. Other than that, the app’s now more tightly integrated with other Nike products: it’s now possible to add minutes from each run on the separate Running app to your N+TC total, and you can tag N+TC sessions on the FuelBand app. The update will hit both platforms’ app stores on December 31st — just in time to make you feel less guilty about that third slice of cheesecake on New Year’s Eve.
Source: Nike, Google Play, iTunes
Sony Xperia Z1 Mini appears again, coming soon?
We have seen the Sony Z1 Mini passing through the FCC, and the device is already available in Japan as Sony Xperia Z1 F, and in other regions it will be known as the Xperia Z1S or Xperia Z1 Mini probably. Now according to some new leaks, the device will be available in China starting next month.
It is said that Sony will officially revealed it at the Chinese New Year Festival on January 3rd, so we might see the Z1 Mini then. And about its pricing, it is reported to come with a hefty price tag of 4099 Yuan – or almost $675. It is really expensive, but probably it’s because of the selected region. We might see different prices for UK and USA, something around $400 would be fine, no?
The phone is almost just like the Xperia Z1, except it has 4.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720×1080, and a smaller battery. Are you planning to grab one? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: GForG
The post Sony Xperia Z1 Mini appears again, coming soon? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
CyanogenMod brings its unique Android alternative to every Oppo N1 smartphone
If you’ve had your Oppo N1 since launch but would rather use anything besides its Android one-off ColorOS, the hardware manufacturer doesn’t take it personally. In fact, you’ll find a version of CyanogenMod that’s tailor-made for the device if you click over to Oppo’s forums. Previously, the custom version of Android was only available on a special edition of the N1, but now everyone has access to CyanogenMod’s vision of what Google’s OS can be: namely, bloat-free and better performing. Because the ROM was built specifically for the device, you won’t lose access to the handset’s more unique features — even the rear touch-panel and the swiveling camera lens. The N1 may be a niche phone, but this close relationship with Oppo could get CyanogenMod just a little bit closer to its goal of becoming a mainstream alternative to Android and iOS.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Android Central
Source: Oppo Forums (official)
Carrier site helps Americans watch out for data-hungry mobile apps
American carriers warn you when you’re using a lot of data, but they don’t always tell you how to avoid that usage in the first place. Thankfully, they’re taking a more proactive stance with the launch of their Know My App site. The CTIA-run page shows the typical data consumption of popular mobile apps and compares it against capped US wireless plans. You’ll want to avoid using bandwidth-heavy apps like Netflix when away from WiFi, for instance, but miserly software like Candy Crush Saga is safe even with basic internet service. Know My App won’t be of much use to mobile veterans — or anyone holding on to unlimited data for dear life — but it could prove vital to newcomers who don’t yet know how to keep their wireless bills in check.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Via: PCWorld
Source: Know My App
Oppo N1 CyanogenMod edition now available for $599
Just a few days ago, CyanogenMod’s Oppo N1 was officially revealed – CyanogenMod’s first ever phone and also the first phone to officially ship with CyanogenMod 10.2. The phone comes with exact features like the Oppo N1, but this special and limited edition comes with few extra stuff. The smartphone is now officially available at Oppo-Style website for $599, and also it comes with a special CyanogenMod cover, and a sticker pack.
The phone itself is really amazing, and with CyanogenMod latest version, I guess it’s a great package. Are you planning to pick up the limited edition Android phone? Tell us about it in the comment box below.
Source: Cyanogenmod
The post Oppo N1 CyanogenMod edition now available for $599 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Tegra Note 7 gets updated with Android 4.3 and camera enhancements
A few things were missing from NVIDIA’s Tegra Note 7 when it launched a month and a half ago, but the company promised that users would get a timely update that filled in some of the holes. That refresh, which includes Android 4.3 and a handful of other enhancements, is coming out to the $200 Tegra 4-powered tablet today. One of the biggest features that should’ve been offered from the very beginning is Always-on HDR (AOHDR), which does exactly what the feature’s name implies — make sure users can snap a real-time HDR shot without waiting several seconds for the camera to process it. There are a few other nice touches in the changelog, such as left-handed stylus support, improvements in the DirectStylus’ response, notifications and the ability to transfer files to microSD from internal memory. Granted, this isn’t the latest version of Android (4.4), but NVIDIA is planning on bringing it to the Note 7 eventually. In the meantime, at least users can enjoy the current update as it begins rolling out today around the world, regardless of which market you live in.
Source: NVIDIA
TCL’s $330 Idol X+ boasts 2GHz octa-core chip, Bluetooth activity tracker
While some of us are still recovering from holiday, the TCL folks in China — whose products are better known under the Alcatel brand in many other countries — have gone ahead and launched a new phone. As the name suggests, the Idol X+ is pretty much an updated version of the already impressive Idol X, with the highlight being it’s the first device to carry the 2GHz bin of the octa-core MT6592 SoC (with 2GB RAM). TCL’s reps told us that this is courtesy of an exclusive deal they arranged with MediaTek. Additionally, you’ll find a familiar 5-inch 1080p IPS display within a slimmer 1.9mm bezel, plus a 13-megapixel f/2.0 camera on the back. Due to the larger 2,500mAh battery, the body is now slightly thicker at 7.9mm, but it’s actually not that much different when we saw a prototype earlier.
For a flagship Android phone that costs just CN¥1,999 or about US$330 unsubsidized, it’s pretty bold of TCL to also include a Bluetooth activity plus sleep tracker. This Boom Band is essentially a little nugget that sits inside a plastic wristband (available in several colors), and it can double as a proximity alarm in case you accidentally leave your phone behind. There’s obviously a companion app that lets you track your stats, and should you wish to, you can also share it with your friends. There’s no word on whether non-China markets will get the same package branded by Alcatel, but if you already reside in China, you can head to JD.com and order one on January 15th.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Engadget China
Source: TCL (Sina Weibo)
Android Never Ceases To Amaze Me; My Personal Mind-Blown Moment On Christmas Day
I don’t pretend to be an expert at Android; I haven’t even rooted my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and I still use TouchWiz. But I do like to think that I know most of the functions of Android, enough to be able to pick up any phone and use it quite extensively. So when I came across something on my Note 2 yesterday that I’d never seen before, I had a bit of a ‘mind-blown’ moment. Time for a story…
It was Christmas Day, the night was winding down and I was at the table with friends playing word games. One of my friends commented that Siri on her iPhone was configured to Cantonese and that it would always detect that she was saying something, even when she wasn’t. To counter this, she needed to find the menu to change Siri’s native language, a feat which was only accessible through the search menu, which in iOS 7 is now ‘hidden’ unintuitively (preditable, really). As it turns out, you access it by swiping down in the middle of the screen, but before arriving at this conclusion, another friend was convinced that this menu could be accessed by swiping down with two fingers. Naturally, this was incorrect, but I thought to myself “does swiping down with two fingers even do anything on an Android phone?”. As it turns out, it does.
Many of you will be familiar with this screen, or at least a variation of it, on your Android device. This is just the standard navigation menu when swiping down with one finger from the top. Lo’ and behold, if you swipe down with two fingers instead, you are greeted with this instead:
Now, I did consider that this was specific to the Note 2 running Android 4.3 as this second menu as seen above is just all the quick menu buttons on the one screen, but I tested this on my friend’s Nexus 4 as well and swiping down with two fingers brought about a different menu as well.
The question here is not if you have this functionality, though it would be nice to know which phones and software builds can actually do this; rather, I’d like to ask everyone whether you’ve had a similar ‘mind-blown’ moment where you realised how amazing Android is or been surprised that there’s actually been a function you’d not known existed before and is very useful. Let us know your stories in the comments below. And Merry Christmas to you all!
AIVAnet 