Virgin Trains has its own free on-board streaming app
The beauty of the English countryside is so overrated. Luckily, the next time you journey on a Virgin train, there’s a chance you won’t have reason to look up from your phone or tablet at repetitive foliage for even a second. Today, Virgin debuted Beam, a new app-powered entertainment service available initially on West Coast Pendolino and East Coast routes, with all Voyager trains catching up by September. Through the Beam Android and iOS apps, passengers can access roughly 200 hours of TV and film for free during their journey, from Captain America: Winter Soldier to House of Cards, or Peppa Pig for the littluns.
The streaming catalogue will vary slightly from route to route, and when you’ve had enough of Frank Underwood’s questionable politicking, there are plenty of free games and digital magazines to check out too. In the same way several airlines are able to offer in-flight streaming to passenger’s devices, Beam pulls content from an on-train server, keeping your monthly data allowance safe and making your long-haul journey that bit less tedious.
Via: Gizmodo UK
Source: Virgin Trains (1), (2)
Huawei manager says it’s making another Nexus device
It’s now been seven months since Huawei began selling its first (very well made) Nexus smartphone and consumers are already looking at what Google has planned for its 2016 refresh. The search giant typically keeps its manufacturing partners close to its chest, so it’s fallen on the Chinese company to start teasing a future device on its behalf. In an interview with Gear Burn, Charlene Munilall, General Manager of its South African consumer business group, has suggested that Huawei is building another Nexus device, telling the gadget site “we’re doing the Nexus again this year, by the way.”
Huawei was one of two Nexus smartphone partners last year, with LG supplying the Nexus 5X. Google has said it will do the same thing this time around to cater for fans who like the option of a core Nexus handset or something more high end. Huawei could be placed to fill one of those spots, but early rumors have suggested that HTC is on board to make both Nexus smartphones, which are reported to be codenamed Marlin and Sailfish.
If that is the case, there is also the possibility that we’ll see a Huawei-made tablet. Google may want to follow up the release of the Pixel C — the first tablet that it designed completely in-house — with another Surface-like slate, and Huawei could be the one to provide it. That is if Huawei’s regional executive isn’t speaking out of turn, of course. We’re still a few months away from a potential Google event but we’ve reached out to the companies involved to clarify the manager’s statement.
Via: Pocket Lint
Source: Gear Burn
Tribeca Shortlist now streams movies on Android devices
Last year, Tribeca Shortlist arrived on the video-streaming scene touting quality over quantity. At launch, the service was only available for iPad and the web, but it has since expanded to iPhone, Roku, Fire TV and, most recently, Apple TV. Now, Tribeca Shortlist is announcing support for Android devices, giving Google’s mobile users access to over 150 movies on demand. In addition to that content, you can also watch exclusive interviews with actors, directors and other members of the film industry.
Naturally, you’ll have to pay $5 per month if you’re interested. That said, Tribeca Shortlist is trying to tempt people by offering a free Chromecast to those who sign up for six months ($30). Can you handle another streaming service, though?
Samsung’s rugged Galaxy S7 Active packs a huge battery
It’s that time of year again: now that Samsung’s latest Galaxy S flagship has been on the market for a while, it’s time for the rougher, tougher Active version to show up. The company has unveiled the Galaxy S7 Active, an AT&T-exclusive rugged edition of the standard S7 that’s built to take a bruising. As with the S6 Active, this isn’t just a regular smartphone with a beefier drop- and water-resistant case. This year’s model has a shatter-resistant 5.1-inch screen, and the battery jumps from the S7’s usual 3,000mAh to a massive 4,000mAh — you won’t have trouble making it through a day of hiking.
The innards are otherwise familiar. You’re still getting a quad HD display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, a front fingerprint reader, a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front shooter. It’s hard to complain, mind you, when the base S7 is one of the more powerful smartphones we’ve seen this year. Just be ready to pay a premium if you like the idea of a Samsung smartphone that can survive your outdoor adventures. The S7 Active will go on sale June 10th for roughly the same amount as the S7 Edge: you’re looking at $26.50 per month on the standard Next plan, or $33.13 per month on Next Every Year.
Source: AT&T
ISIS worries that fake Android apps are spying on its ranks
ISIS’ attempts to disseminate its extreme message through mobile apps might be backfiring. Motherboard has learned that the group is warning members of fake, malware-laden versions of its Android apps that allegedly spy on users. While it’s not clear who’s creating the apps (besides “dubious sources”), it’s implied that at least one government is trying to snoop on ISIS through unsuspecting members. Those militants can’t just stick to ‘official’ sources to be safe, either — ISIS’ official channels frequently go down, so many of those backing the group’s hateful cause have no choice but to go through unofficial routes.
The revelations show just how difficult it’s becoming for ISIS to spread propaganda now that governments and social networks are doing more to fight online extremism. Simply put, the outfit can’t assume that any of its digital communication avenues are reliable, whether they’re apps or chat channels. It either has to withdraw its efforts or accept that spying and takedowns will be par for the course. Not that anyone targeted by the ultra-violent organization is about to complain, mind you.
Source: Motherboard
Google shows how Android apps will run on your Chromebook
Google was quick to tout Chrome OS’ upcoming support for Android apps during its I/O 2016 keynote, but how does it actually work in practice? You won’t have to travel to Mountain View to find out: the search firm has posted the video of a developer presentation that shows how the Play Store and Android apps will run on your Chromebook. As a rule, it appears to be seamless. Android’s intent system makes it relatively easy to share files between apps, while offline support will keep you entertained during those long flights. And yes, games appear to run smoothly.
The demo took place under ideal conditions, so you might want to avoid leaping to conclusions. The odds are that a lower-end Chromebook won’t be quite as adept with Android apps, especially if it doesn’t have a touchscreen to parallel the experience you get on your phone. Nonetheless, this clip is a good sign for anyone worried that an Android/Chrome OS union could get messy.
Via: Android Central
Source: Google Developers (YouTube)
Facebook shoves mobile web users toward the Messenger app
Remember when Facebook divorced instant messages from the main app and forced folks to download Messenger if they wanted a direct way to send quick missives while on the go? Well, the social network is doing something similar once again. Reports are floating about that people accessing their messages from the mobile web either isn’t possible or that there are a few annoying obstacles in place.
Android Authority writes that some mobile web users are getting a reminder that “Your conversations are moving to Messenger” with a near instantaneous redirect to the Google Play download page for Zuckerberg’s blue chat application. In our tests, it’s been hit or miss. I can still access everything from Chrome on iOS without any hiccups, but Android-owning coworkers experienced a couple of hurdles to get to their existing message threads — including a few bounces to Messenger. Zuckerberg and Co. are cranking the nag factor way up here for Android users.
Facebook’s motivation is pretty clear: It’s putting an awful lot of effort into Messenger and wants everyone to use it, whether the users care to or not. After all, there have been hints at ads making their way to the chat app. If there are ways to circumvent seeing those, people are going to use them. Until they’re gone, that is.
Source: Android Authority
Microsoft Outlook has an Android Wear watch face
Microsoft Outlook made its debut on current wearables with an Apple Watch app last year, before launching an Android Wear app in April. Now Microsoft has gone a step further, by updating its app with an Android Wear watchface. Outlook users with a Wear device get details on their day’s schedule, next upcoming meeting or unread messages right on their initial screen, without needing to dive into an app or wait for a notification. If your work setup is centered around Outlook instead of Gmail, it should make dealing with scheduling and messages far easier — grab the latest update from the Play Store and sync apps on your Android watch to get the latest version.
Source: Microsoft Office Blog, Play Store
Unofficial Belgian beer emojis use the appropriate glassware
As craft breweries explode in popularity across the US, more and more people want to express their love of specialty beers in the form of emojis — rather, emoji. There’s just one standard beer emoji (plus a “cheers” emoji that uses the same image) on Android and iOS, even though there are more than 100 styles of beer, some of which are meant to be served in specific ways. Here’s where the Belgian Brewer’s Association comes in. The group’s latest marketing scheme is an iOS and Android emoji board featuring 60 tiny images of Belgian beers, all served in their appropriate glasses.
These aren’t official iOS or Android emojis, so they won’t be compatible with all devices, as Fortune notes. That’s OK though — some beers aren’t compatible with all palates, either. We’re looking at you, sours.
Via: Fortune
Source: Belgian Beer Emojis
Google launches beta testing program for Maps on Android
Here’s one for adventurous techies: Google has launched a beta testing program for Maps. If you’d like to be among the first people to try its unreleased, experimental features, you can sign up to be a tester through its Play Store portal. Since you’re trying out beta features, though, you’re bound to encounter bugs and other issues. Android Police has the APK available for download, as well, if you prefer to go that route instead. The big G has also released an update for the stable version of Maps. It’s not a huge upgrade by any means, but it comes with new notification settings and a splash screen for Android Wear devices.
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Play
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