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
Come comment on this article: Google releases factory images for new Nexus 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 update
Google posts LMY48M factory images for current Nexus devices
Just yesterday, T-Mobile announced a number of over-the-air updates for various Nexus devices, containing “Android security enhancements” and “minor bug fixes” for each device. Now some time has passed, and Google has finally published the official factory images for these latest security patches. Last August, Google told us we’d receive monthly security-focused updates for current Nexus devices, which was announced in the wake of the Stagefright exploit.
For the most part, all of the new factory images come with version number LMY48M, except for Nexus 6 owners on T-Mobile who will want to download version LYZ28J. If you happen to have a Nexus 6 on Project Fi, you’ll want to download version LVY48E.
See also: Google reveals details about monthly security updates in new Android Security Google Group
New factory images are up for the Nexus 4, 5, 6, 7 [2013] (Wi-Fi), Nexus 9 (Wi-Fi and LTE models) and Nexus 10. If you’d like to flash these updates for yourself, head to the link below to grab the latest versions.
What are Google Now Cards? How to tailor them to your needs.
In this post, I’ll show you how to customize Google Now cards. But first, what is Google Now? The service essentially is a personal assistant. With it, you can get notifications and updates on topics that matter to you, such as apps, websites, sports, stocks, Google Play albums, and even travel notifications and bills. Google Now can also display topics based on searches you’ve made. You have control over these because you can tailor them directly to your needs.
Customizing
Before you can tweak Google Now, you’ll need to make sure the cards are turned on. Swipe from the left edge of the screen or tap the menu icon at the top left. Next, go to “Settings,” “Now cards,” and “Show cards,” and switch the toggle to on if it is off.
Google Now’s sidebar menu
Next, we can customize the cards. Return to the sidebar menu and click “Customize.” You should see options for apps & websites, sports, stocks, etc., possibly with some numbers next to them.
Clicking on any one will give you relevant options for each. For example, under apps & websites, you can select whether to allow cards from apps and websites in general or even at an individual level as long as Google Now thinks you would be interested in receiving updates from that particular site.
And under anything else, Google Now will list a number of choices it thinks are relevant to your interests. It will ask a question such as, “Continue to get updates about albums?” to which you can submit “Yes” or “No.”
Periodically, Google Now will show these options on the main page if you have not answered them.
Let’s do two tasks for this example: add a sports team and add a stock.
On the “Customize” menu, click “Sports.” Then, tap “+ Add a team.” This will pull up a prompt that allows you to type the name of the team you want to follow. As you do so, suggestions of teams and icons indicating their sport appear. Select one, and it will be added to the “Interested in” section.
The steps for adding a stock are nearly the same. The differences are that you need to click “Stocks” from the “Customize” menu, and then, you have to click “+ Add a stock.”
Moving on, at least most of the cards you see will have three, small circles (…) at their top right corners. Clicking these circles will bring up a yes or no question. If you’ve already answered it, it’ll tell how long ago it was answered. Of course, you can change your response at any time.
Set Reminders
Google Now is able to set up reminders for events manually either from “Reminders” in the sidebar menu or by tapping the microphone icon on the main screen and telling it your command. They will appear on the main screen as their deadlines approach.
Additionally, they can be viewed and edited from “Reminders” or the main screen.
Shipping Information
Google Now also is capable of tracking the shipment statuses of your packages through its integration with Gmail.
The service looks for online orders in your Gmail. When it finds them, it will show you a card including the package’s status (shipping versus delivered, for example), where the item originated from, and the estimated arrival date.
At the bottom, you can track the card directly and view the email that contains information about the order.
Flight Information
This works similarly to how Google Now tracks packages. You’ll receive the name of the flight, its status, the email address of the flight company, and details pertaining to which terminal to go to at which airport at a specific time.
Just as before, you can view the email directly via the “View email” button at the card’s bottom. There also is an option to navigate by GPS, with the estimated arrival time included.
Website Updates
In addition, the service can update you on sites you’ve recently visited when it detects that new content is available. However, this feature is one of the hardest aspects of Google Now to really pinpoint. It isn’t very consistent, and even websites you visit frequently aren’t likely to show up, though they are more likely to show up. See the problem?
As far as I know, you are mostly unable to control directly which sites you want to get updates from, as you can with an RSS feed. If anyone has any tips regarding this feature, shoot off in the comments below!
Conclusion
With these steps, you can make Google Now your very own ecosystem.
If you think about it, the service is not all that different than RSS. Each acts as a hub for potential sources that you want to add in order to follow them.
Google Now is more flexible in the sense that it can do more than give you just news content. However, it probably is not a complete replacement for RSS since it will not always use the same source for a particular topic. It will use the same source only if you specify to receive updates from a specific site. Also, Google Now is not all that time-sensitive with this, which is not desirable for people who like to get their news as it is released.
Although, if you have Feedly, you can integrate the news aggregator and follow content from Google Now in order to make the service a better RSS feed.
The post What are Google Now Cards? How to tailor them to your needs. appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Get prepared for Android 6.0: Download and install the latest Google Play Store 5.9.11 APK
The Google Play Store has just received a version bump, bringing it to version 5.9.11 and gets devices ready for the impending launch of Android 6.0, as well as bringing with it support for fingerprint readers (hello Nexus 5X), a uninstall manager, and more.
What’s New
There’s plenty of new additions to the Google Play Store 5.9.11 and the release is clearly geared towards preparing things for the launch of Android 6.0. You’ll notice a new dialogue appear for apps optimised for Android 6.0 that will notify that such as will start asking for permissions when you start using them.
You’ll also notice that the latest Google Play Store adds in a handful of new permissions to the package, most of which are used for reading SMS messages and the contact list, which is more than likely to do with the app invite system.
Of the changes introduced with this new version of the Google Play Store, the most notable is that of fingerprint reader support. With no native support for fingerprint sensors previously in Android, it was a mystery as to how the much rumored fingerprint reader on the new Nexus lineup would function. That mystery is now cleared up with fingerprint readers officially supported in Google Play, and as such more than likely purchases using the sensor.
There’s a new feature introduced with this version of the Play Store called ‘Uninstall Manager’ that will make it easier to identify those apps that are eating all your storage and get rid of them. It seems that this feature only highlights physical app size, rather than associated media or cache space consumption.
You can read the full APK teardown over at AndroidPolice.
Why download it?
If like me you like to be on the cutting edge of developments, you can go ahead and grab the latest Google Play Store 5.9.11 APK from here. Running the latest version of the Google Play Store always ensures you have the latest features and experience the changes first-hand into new developments within the APK. Often small incremental updates will lay the ground work for future, more substantial, changes and running the latest APK enables you to see these clues for yourself and experience the fixes Google are delivering to the Google Play Store app.
Notice anything else different in the newest version of the Google Play Store? Drop us a comment below.
The post Get prepared for Android 6.0: Download and install the latest Google Play Store 5.9.11 APK appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google+ finally integrating true post sharing to other apps
Ever tried to share a post from Google+ to another app? This is something that pretty much all Android apps allow through the use of Android’s native sharing intent (that bottom window that appears when you press the share button). No doubt, it’s annoying that Google’s own social network is missing this functionality, but this may be a woe we are soon to say goodbye to.
Plenty of reports across the web are suggesting the Search Giant is testing this functionality on the Google+ app. The feature looks to be slowly rolling out, as other users state they have tried to do this and found no success. It also seems as though this is not a version-specific feature and the Search Giant is simply flipping the switch on in the background.
Want to test your luck and see if it works? Simply head over to the Google+ app, open any post post by tapping on the publishing time and then hit the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen. After this, select “Share Link” and the sharing intent should show up. If this feature is not yet available, the user will simply have the URL copied to the clipboard, which is the action this app has been taking all along. I tested this on a Nexus 6 and an LG G4 and it works on both.
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To be honest, it is simply annoying that Google hasn’t implemented this already. One would assume that all Google apps take advantage of every single feature Android has to offer. Go figure! At least now we can enjoy easy sharing on the social network.
Hit the comments and let us know if you are as fortunate!
GoPro Odyssey 16-camera VR rig now available for $15,000
Remember that insane rig Google showed off at I/O? Yes, the one with the 16 GoPro cameras. It looked like the ideal VR-recording machine for content creators, and now it can be yours! The portable camera maker has just launched the product under the GoPro Odyssey moniker.
Don’t go rushing to try and get yourself one just yet, though. Needless to say, this product is not for everyone. For starters, the Odyssey costs a whopping $15,000. The price point alone leaves this product out of reach for many of us, but we should also mention the fact that GoPro won’t just sell this thing to everyone who shows up with 15 grand. At least not yet.
The GoPro Odyssey is only available for “select industry professionals” who want to invest into the VR market and create exciting content. This is why the manufacturer is going through a screening process, which means potential customers need to fill out a form in order to be considered for acquiring a one of these contraptions. You can register straight from GoPro’s official Odyssey page.
But let’s get back to the price, shall we? Obviously, this is the most disappointing part of today’s news. This thing seems way too expensive. For us normal folk, it may be, but we must consider the audience GoPro is trying to target here – professionals. While part of the price bump is all about the product’s “professional” status, it can also be justified by the amount of equipment this bundle packs.
The rig is only the beginning; this thing also packs 16 HERO4 Black cameras, 16 array bacpacs, 16 microSD cards, cables/accessories and even a fancy Pelican case to carry the whole thing in. Not to mention its integration with Google’s JUMP platform, which can take a huge weight off editors’ shoulders, as it can handle much of the tedious work and put all the content together. All things considered, it’s a pretty good deal for a company just looking for the simplest tool to make 3D content with.
Are any of you signing up? Just head over to GoPro’s website and register. You might be chosen!
Android Lollipop is the OS of choice for one in five users
If you own an Android device, find four similarly outfitted friends and line up, shoulder-to-shoulder. Look to your left. Look to your right. Chances are, one of you has Lollipop, the latest Android mobile operating system. Twenty-one percent of Android devices use Lollipop, according to the company’s own breakdown. This figure is up significantly from May, when Android reported just nine percent of its devices used the new OS. The largest share of the Android OS pie goes to Kit Kat, with 39 percent, followed by Jelly Bean with 32 percent.
Android’s next update is called “Marshmallow” and while it doesn’t yet have a release date, it should hit devices soon. Marshmallow’s focus is “polish and quality,” according to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. We checked out the M Preview version in June and found that “when M works well, it works really well.”
A few notes regarding today’s numbers: The Nexus 9, Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge all come with Lollipop right out of the box. Also, Android’s figures reflect “devices running the latest Google Play Store app, which is compatible with Android 2.2 and higher.” That means older devices, or those without Google Play, aren’t counted in this particular survey.
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Google
Via:
VentureBeat
Source:
Android
Tags: android, google, hdpostcross, lollipop, marshmallow, OS
Android Wear is coming to China with Motorola’s help
Android Wear smartwatches have been available in many places for a while, but not China — the platform’s dependencies on Google Play and Google Now weren’t going to fly when Google refuses to offer some services in the censorship-heavy country. Motorola isn’t deterred, however. It’s releasing a version of the new Moto 360 in China with local services in place of their Google equivalents. Mobvoi will handle both search and voice recognition, third-party stores will offer apps and Sogou will handle navigation. It definitely won’t represent the familiar Android Wear experience, but it will give Chinese Android fans a wearable option they haven’t had before.
So why is Google willing to compromise on its historically tight control over Android Wear, especially when it isn’t likely to make much if any money on Chinese sales? Google doesn’t say much in its chat with The Verge on the subject, but this is likely about giving the platform a foothold that it wouldn’t have otherwise. Unlike with phones, there hasn’t been a version of Android Wear that China-focused manufacturers (like Motorola’s parent, Lenovo) could use. If Google didn’t bend, it would effectively hand the Chinese smartwatch market to Apple, Samsung and other companies that are either building their own platforms or creating decidedly unofficial Android watches. This sets a baseline where Google can deliver its core experience and push updates relatively frequently.
Filed under:
Wearables, Mobile, Google, Lenovo
Source:
The Verge
Tags: android, androidwear, china, google, lenovo, mobilepostcross, mobvoi, moto360, motorola, smartwatch, sogou, wearable
Google will test fresh food deliveries in two US cities this year
Google’s Express delivery service has already been delivering food for a while, but it’s about to expand those efforts in a big, big way. The internet giant tells Bloomberg that it will start testing deliveries of fresh food and groceries in both San Francisco and another, unnamed US city sometime later this year. Yes, you may well get fruits and veggies (technically sourced from places like Costco and Whole Foods) through your web search provider. This isn’t just a kindness, though. Fresh food is potentially cheaper, since Google won’t have to deal with refrigeration and other logistics involved with frozen goods. Also, this gives it a better shot at competing with Amazon Fresh — it can offer both lower delivery rates and more of the produce you want.
Source:
Bloomberg
Tags: costco, delivery, food, google, googleexpress, googleshoppingexpress, groceries, internet, shopping, wholefoods
Adblock Browser officially launches on iOS and Android
With more than 400 million desktop installations in its pocket, it was only a matter of time until Adblock Plus became available on mobile devices. Eyeo, the company behind the extension, first tested the water back in 2013, but when Google pulled the app, it decided that incorporating its filters into Adblock Browser was the best way to go. After months of testing, the app has finally launched on iOS and Android devices, promising to let users “browse fast, safe and free of annoying ads” on their smartphone or tablet.
Like its desktop counterpart, Adblock Browser can block all ads or let users choose to whitelist their favorite sites in order to ensure they continue to receive advertising revenue. It claims to speed up page loads, save data and conserve up to 20 percent of battery life by people choose whether they wish to restrict tracking cookies, malware domains and social media sharing buttons.
The launch comes just a day before Apple holds its latest iPhone event, where it’s expected to explain how iOS 9 users will be able to block content from loading in the default browser app. With Adblock’s new browser and Apple backing the use of web filters, more mobile users may choose to block ads and impact the income of online publishers as a result.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Via:
Adblock Plus
Source:
Adblock Browser (iOS), (Google Play)
Tags: adblock, adblockbrowser, adblockplus, android, browser, google, ios, mobilepostcross
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