Smokio electronic cigarette may be the first time ‘smart’ and ‘smoking’ have been used in the same sentence
Well, you had to see this coming right? Someone was bound to connect an electronic cigarette sooner or later. Smokio’s bring its e-cigarette to market along with apps for iOS and Android, so you can track smoking, check the battery and regulate the amount of vapor you’re getting with each puff. Heck, you can even map all the places you’ve been smoking with the thing, and if you need some positive reinforcement, the app’ll show you the equivalent number of analog cigarettes you’d have smoked, had you not switched. Smokio is currently listed as “coming soon” on the company’s site, with no word on pricing. Apparently it’ll start shipping next month, after the completion of an upcoming Kickstarter campaign. There’s also a video below, if you can stand to hear someone use the term “vape” over and over again in a short period of time. Now if only would could figure out how bad those smartphones are.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Smokio
Spotify’s Android and Mac apps get a fresh coat of paint and new artist pages
If you’ve just noticed that Spotify on your Mac or Android device looks different, you’re not seeing things: there are new updates for both platforms. On Android, the tweaks are quite small, with a new look for the login and signup pages, along with image galleries and play counts in the artist section, as shown above. Meanwhile The Verge spotted a new version for Mac computers that seems to be rolling out gradually, with visual changes like a darker theme and a circular artist avatar (see a screen grab after the break). There doesn’t seem to be any new features or other revisions, though, and you may not be able to get the Mac app in your region yet. If you’re keen to switch on Android though, you can check Google Play on your device or at the source.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: The Verge
Source: Spotify (Google Play)
Evernote for Android graced with refined note editing, external keyboard support
Sure, the year might be winding down, but the folks at Evernote have still managed to sneak in another update for their Android app. By wielding the upgraded application, users can edit notes without fear of losing text styling they’ve applied in the program on other platforms, and view attachments in-line with their digital scrawlings. External keyboard support has been baked in as well, alongside recognition for key shortcuts for creating notes, bullets, numbered lists and to-do entries. With the refreshed software, enterprise users can even access their business notes from the home screen and select a preferred notebook for new jottings they create. To grab ahold of the app, head to the bordering source link.
Via: Evernote Blog
Source: Google Play
Kindle for Android adds Collections to help organize your e-library
If you’ve bought quite a library of Kindle books for yourself, you might have a chore scrolling through the lot to find the one you want. Thankfully for Android users, you can now organize your reading material into Collections with a new Kindle app update. What goes into a certain Collection is entirely up to you — you may group them by genre, type or whatever category strikes your fancy. As you’re choosing which book goes where, you can filter them by author or title, and unlike your physical library, a single book can be assigned to multiple Collections. Just like your reading progress, those Collections can be synced across multiple devices as long as you’re logged in. The Kindle update brings a number of other goodies to the table as well, like accessibility support for Android’s Talkback and Explore By Touch features so you can flip a page simply by reading aloud and the ability to toggle publisher fonts on or off. You’ll also now be prompted to offer a star rating for a book once you’re done reading it. So if you’re a die-hard Kindle fanatic with an Android device, snag the update and lord it over your Collection-less iOS brethren while you still can.
Source: Google Play
BLU unveils two budget Android phones with 3G on more North American carriers
BLU Products’ unlocked smartphones have only been truly useful in North America when using bigger carriers like AT&T and Rogers, but the company is giving us a few more choices today. Its new Advance 4.0 and Studio 5.0 II both support HSPA+ data on smaller networks like T-Mobile, Solavei and Wind Mobile; if you want to jump to a cheaper provider, you won’t have to give up 3G in the process. The handsets are otherwise modest. Both Android 4.2 devices come with a dual-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a front VGA camera. You’re mostly left deciding between the Advance 4.0′s 4-inch TFT display and the Studio 5.0 II’s 5-inch IPS panel. Whichever phone you choose, it won’t cost much. BLU is offering the Advance 4.0 today for $89 outright, while its Studio 5.0 II cousin sells for $139.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: PR Newswire
Source: BLU Products (1), (2)
Opera Max beta compresses most of the data going through your Android device
Opera’s mobile browsers are quite popular because of their ability to compress data, but it’s unfortunately been limited to just that — the browser itself. This becomes less and less useful as smartphones continue to evolve, since our data usage patterns encompass so much more than just the simple browser: many of us are constantly streaming music, uploading and downloading images and apps, and so on. To lighten the hefty load we inflict on our monthly data allotments, Opera has launched a beta of its new Android app called Opera Max, which compresses most of the information that goes through your device — websites, images, videos and many of your usual apps (Instagram and Vine immediately come to mind, but the possibilities are wide open).
Opera makes this happen by setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that measures all of the data coming through your device. Data requests are then sent through Opera’s servers, though the company tells us that it only measures how much data you use and how much you save — in other words, it says your information is safe. There’s no guarantee on how much data you’ll save, but if you’re a gulper like us, we suspect it’ll be a significant amount. While the company hasn’t specified how many beta testers are allowed, it does say that room is limited; if you’re into the idea, you’ll need to join its Google Plus Community, opt in to the beta and then download the app from the Play Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google
Source: Opera
Soundrop’s social music listening comes to Android
Soundrop’s communal listening experience is at last available on Android. As with the iOS app, music lovers can sign into a paid Deezer or Spotify account and join rooms with themed playlists; from there, they can both vote for songs in the play queue and discuss tracks with fellow fans. You’ll need at least Android 4.0 and one of the associated streaming services to get started, but the Soundrop app itself is free to download from Google Play.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Google Play
Dropbox for Android now lets you share folders with friends
Dropbox members no longer have to wait until they’re at a desktop to share a whole folder. An updated Dropbox for Android lets users both invite others to shared folders and manage the relevant permissions. There aren’t many other interface additions, although anyone eager to upgrade to Pro service can now subscribe through Google Play instead of the web. And don’t worry, iOS fans — Dropbox is bringing invitation support to your app in early 2014.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Mobile
Via: Dropbox Blog, Android Police
Source: Google Play
Samsung Galaxy S5 to have QHD and Iris scanner?
In past few weeks, we have heard a lot of rumors about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5. Like it will have an aluminium unibody, it will be launched in two versions and just few days ago, we heard that it will come with a PLS LCD display. But now we are hearing something else, that instead of the PLS LCD, the S5 will come with a QHD display with a resolution of 2560×1440, and it will be Samsung’s first ever smartphone with such display. However, Oppo Find 7 will be the first ever smartphone with a QHD display.
Also, the Galaxy S5 will feature a new security method known as the Iris technology – a scanner that scans user eyes as a security measure. Well, a 4GB RAM, ultra HD display, and a next-generation security technology on a smartphone? I will take that rumor with a grain of salt.
We are hearing a lot about the Galaxy S5, and the rumors will keep coming until unless the cat is out of the bag. So, what are your thoughts about the upcoming Samsung flagship? Will it be the best a Samsung smartphone can get?
Source: ZDNet
The post Samsung Galaxy S5 to have QHD and Iris scanner? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung’s HomeSync media hub will play nice with non-Samsung Android devices
If ever a product needed to work harder to justify its price tag, it’d be Samsung’s new $299 HomeSync box. Fortunately, the manufacturer seems to be self-aware enough to make some changes: the Android-powered storage, streaming and mirroring hub will soon offer full support for Jelly Bean phones and tablets even if they’re outside of the Galaxy stable. This should allow an average household with numerous, diversely-branded devices to store and share their photos, music and videos using the HomeSync’s 1TB “personal cloud,” while also using their handsets as remote controls and as sources for mirroring via the box’s HDMI input. As things stand, however, only a handful of non-Samsung phones, like the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, are listed as compatible over at the Google Play store, and it could be a while before the HomeSync becomes truly brand-agnostic. In the meantime, there are plenty of other mobile-friendly NAS solutions around that are worth a look.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
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