Spotify brings new Running feature to Android
Spotify is currently in the midst of rolling out an update for its official Android app via the Play Store. In terms of added functionality, this upgrade transports compatibility for its formally iOS-exclusive Running feature, as well as several much-needed bug fixes and stability improvements to the application.
To see the Running feature in action, check out the video below:
Click here to view the embedded video.
To install the update on your smartphone, simply open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘Spotify’, then all that’s left for you to do is hit the update button.
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Rumor: Google to offer extended warranties for Nexus devices?
Insurance for your phones can be a challenge. Carriers offer insurance, but at at around $10 a month, plus a deductible when you make a claim, it can be almost the same price as buying a new phone. You can buy a cheaper option from a company like SquareTrade or if you’re an Apple device owner you can get AppleCare+ from Apple themselves.
Now it looks like Google is getting into the warranty game too.
Our friends over at AndroidPolice have discovered references to “Nexus Protect” in the page source on Google’s device pages. The exact toast message shows up as this:
“You can’t add this phone unless it has the same Nexus Protect choice as other phones in your cart. You can update your choice or purchase this phone in your next order.“
The assumption we’re going to make is that Nexus Protect is an AppleCare type product. Currently AppleCare+ for iPhone 6 and earlier models offers you two years of hardware coverage, support and up to two “incidents” claims (with a $79 deductible).
We have no concrete evidence of what Nexus Protect will offer, but we hope it’s in the same range as Apple’s services where you can swap out a broken phone for a nominal fee. HTC recently released Uh Oh protection where they’ll swap out your HTC One M9 in the first year no questions asked, so it looks like this is a growing trend.
We expect to see two new Nexus devices in the coming months so it seems like that would be a logical time to launch such a program.
Source: AndroidPolice
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Sphero BB-8 Android app updated with voice command capabilities
Did you get yourself a nifty Sphero BB-8 Star Wars droid? The app-controlled spherical robot is about the coolest tech toy we have seen hit the market in a long time. And using your phone to move the android around is only the basic feature; this thing is smarter than one would imagine. One of its perks is the ability to recognize your voice and react to it. There was only one issue – though this was a very widely advertised feature, it wasn’t a capability that was available to Android users at launch.
Sphero is ready to give us voice commands with the latest update to the official BB-8 application. This upgrade brings the application up to version 1.0.1, and it also offers UI tweaks, connection fixes and compatibility for more devices.
Those who want to start ordering their Sphero BB-8 robots around can now go to the official app’s settings and turn the “Voice Commands” option on. After this, you can tell the Sphero BB-8 to go into patrol mode, move forward or backward, and one can even yell out “it’s a trap” to have the robot go away speedily.
This little toy is every Star Wars geek’s dream. It packs so many features, which is why it’s no surprise to see it priced at $149. I say it’s worth every penny, though!
Have you guys been able to test voice commands yet? Hit the comments to let us know how it works.
Download the BB-8 app from the Google Play Store!
Robust Android ransomware spreading across American devices
Malware developers have been forced to code more advanced software as security measures evolve and people become more educated. They need to be a little more tricky now, and the bad news is these attackers are not really falling behind the big corporations that try to protect us. Ransomware has become especially advanced, and one is currently spreading across America.
Let’s start by telling you what Ransomeware is. This specific kind of malware aims to take money from users by fooling them into willingly paying certain amounts of cash. In this case it would be $500, which is a significant amount of money. It’s also an Android LockScreen Trojan, which means it can lock users out of their devices.
This ESET-discovered malware goes by the name of Android/Lockerpin.A, and it is quite a nasty bug. After successful infection, the software will try to fool you into granting it Device Administrator rights. The trick here is that it does it in very sneaky ways.
In this case, the administrator privilege page is overlaid with a fake window that claims to be a patch update. Of course, inexperienced users may fall for this and press continue, which would be very bad news. The device is now infected and this software has Administrator rights over your phone. It can even change your PIN number and lock you out of your smartphone.
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After some time, affected users will be presented with a window containing a fake “FBI” message that claims the user has been viewing prohibited pornographic material. It also mentions he/she should pay a $500 fine for being involved in these “criminal activities”.
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Try to leave this message and the screen will be locked. At this point, the user can uninstall Android/Lockerpin.A, but only by doing so through Safe Mode or ADB. But you are out of luck once ransom activity has commenced, as a randomly-generated PIN number will be put in place and successfully take away your access over the phone.
Not even the attacker can unlock the phone at this point. The only way to recover access is to perform a factory data reset. Sure, it may be annoying to have to go through that process, but it’s honestly what I would recommend you do if you are infected, anyways.
The crazy part is that the ransomware even has some defense mechanisms built in. For example, upon trying to disable Administration rights for Android/Lockerpin.A, the software will simply reactivate it. In addition, this Trojan also tries to kill anti-virus processes from ESET, Avast and Dr. Web.
You don’t want to run across this thing, but most people need not worry. The dangerous ransomware is nowhere to be found on the Google Play Store (at least yet). The only way to get infected is by grabbing infected apps from other sources. Those who stick to Google’s official app store will be safe.
If you do have a tendency to download apps from other places, make sure the source is reliable. As I have always said – the best virus protection is smart tech habits.
Have any of you encountered anything like this? It seems like 77% of infected users are in the USA, so we best watch out. Stay alert and don’t trust everything that’s online!
Periscope adds support for landscape videos
Users of Periscope can now Vlog in the orientation of their choice, as the latest update brings support for landscape captures.
“Viewers can continue holding their device in portrait, or match the broadcaster’s orientation to maintain full screen video. Either way, you’ll never need to tilt your head to watch sideways video.“
There are also some other cool features that Periscope users should find useful:
Share Context: When someone you follow shares a broadcast, it appears in your home feed. In this update, we’ve added an indicator beneath the broadcast title explaining who shared it with you. No more wondering why a broadcast showed up in your feed!
Accessibility: We’ve heard from a lot of people that Periscope needs to be more accessible for visually impaired Periscopers. In this version we’ve made large steps towards improving support for iOS accessibility features. We’ll continue to invest in this over time!
Mutual Follow: This update makes private broadcasting much easier on Android. When you start a private broadcast, you can choose from a list of mutual followers (people you follow, who also follow you). We think this list is a more natural selection of people who you are likely to broadcast to. We’ve also added an option to quickly select all of your mutual follows. See something you want to share with your friends, but not the whole world? Check.
Periscope historically only supported portrait broadcasting and apparently landscape support was something users were continually asking for. The support is built into the latest version of Periscope and is available in the Google Play Store.
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Android Pay has officially launched!
After months of anticipation, Android Pay is finally here! Although, really, it’s been around for awhile, just dubbed Google Wallet (before Apple Pay was even a thing…). Jokes aside, Android Pay will officially replace Google Wallet, and will work with any Android device with KitKat (4.4) or higher, and NFC.
Android Pay will not only hold your debit and credit cards, but it will also hold your loyalty cards, gift cards, and more right on your phone. Google says they’ll be adding even more features and usable banks and locations in the coming months, in hopes to allow you to keep that billfold at home.
Google will support the major card companies right off the bat: American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Specific banks are said to be supported as time goes on, starting with Citi and Wells Fargo.
Below are the companies that do or will support Android Pay:
Google is also assuring that security is focus with Android Pay, which will use a similar tokenization process that Apple Pay uses. Here is what they say:
“We know how important it is to keep your personal and financial information secure, so Android Pay is supported by industry standard tokenization. This means your real credit or debit card number isn’t sent with your payment. Instead, we’ll use a virtual account number that provides an extra layer of security. As soon as you make a purchase, you’ll see a payment confirmation that shows where a given transaction happened, so it’s easy to catch any suspicious activity.“
They also point out that if your phone is lost or stolen, you can use the already useful Android Device Manager to locate, lock, and even wipe your phone remotely.
They seem keen to point out that this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Android Pay, as they’ll constantly be adding features. Also, it’s interesting to read the announcement on the Blog, because if you read between the lines they seem to be implying that all of this has really been around for awhile in Google Wallet, even pointing out that you can instantly send/receive money from within Google Wallet at the end.
Anyways, this is all really cool, and it will be interesting to see how fast paying with our phones will be adopted. Google says that all NFC-enabled phones will begin to have Android Pay pre-installed on Android phones from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Perhaps that will be a step in making digital payments adopted everywhere.
Does this news excite you? Do you already use Google Wallet, so none of this is really news to you? Tell us your thoughts below!
SOURCE: Official Android Blog
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New Google Wallet app is now in the Play Store
Google Wallet has taken a change of direction now that the future of mobile payments for Google is Android Pay, and is instead focusing on sending and receiving money.
With that in mind, there is a new revamped Google Wallet app that is making its way onto the Google Play Store as a new download rather than an update.
There’s a new icon for Google Wallet and also a color scheme change, but the main difference is how it works, allowing users to deposit and withdraw, and send and receive payments within the US for free.
Once you’ve downloaded the new Google Wallet, the old app will remain on your launcher – perhaps that will become Android Pay when it launches?
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LG Nexus 5 shows up on leaked internal slides
Google is announcing two new Nexus devices this year, one manufactured by Huawei and the other by LG. The new LG Nexus 5 has been leaked multiple times but nothing concrete as surfaced as of yet.
What appears to be an internal slide dubbed ‘Project N3’ shows the next Nexus 5 made by LG in its full final form. The image hows the front and back of the device and once again we see the fingerprint sensor that seems certain to be part of the final build now given how much it has been leaked.
As well as confirming the physical appearance of the LG Nexus 5, the internal slide leak also comes with some specs that confirm the 5.2-inch full HD (1080p) display, which will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor. The leak does state, however, that the device will only have 2GB of RAM, which is contrary to the 3GB we have been hearing, all supported by a 2,700mAh battery.
Thoughts?
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Hangouts updated to get ready for Android Marshmallow release
In the last few weeks we have seen more and more evidence of Google laying the ground-work for the upcoming release of Android Marshmallow. In the lead up to their sweetest release ever, Hangouts has been updated from v4.0 to v4.2 – though there is no real evidence for anything new except for some stuff found in the code by Android Police.
They seem to indicate that the new version is laying groundwork for the new control on permissions that will come with Android 6.0. Here is the code they isolate –
Otherwise, there is nothing else indicative of an update. Guess it just means we’re one step closer to Android Marshmallow!
However, if you are absolutely dying for anything new – you can grab the apk from APKMirror here.
Let us know if you do find something in this update that’s new!
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Google releases factory images for new Nexus 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 update
Yesterday, T-Mobile announced a series of OTA’s for the Nexus 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9. The sole purpose of these updates are to fix a number of security and bug-related issues that were unearthed in the Android operating system. Now, Google has released the factory images for the upgrades, which are available to download and install directly from the search engine giant’s Developer Platform.
It’s important to bear in mind that these factory images aren’t your standard JPG or PNG. They are in fact images, which allow you to directly update and wipe your device – effectively installing the operating system from scratch. The images are also particularly useful if you have previously tinkered around with the ROM on your device and need an easy route back to the stock version of Android.
If you want to get your hands on the upgrade, hit the source link below, then locate the firmware version entitled LMY48M.
Source: Developer Platform
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