Samsung Pay starts rolling out in Canada
Canadian iPhone owners have had Apple Pay for a while, but what if a Samsung phone is your weapon of choice? You might be set after today. Just a couple of weeks after the company revealed that Samsung Pay was coming to Canada in November, Galaxy phone owners are reporting that the tap-to-pay service is going live. You currently have to sideload the Samsung Pay app and framework on a compatible phone (typically a Galaxy S6, S7 or Note 5), but you may not have to take your wallet out after that. A formal launch should come soon.
The big catch: Samsung Pay only works with “select” Visa credit cards from one bank, CIBC. You’re out of luck if if you pay with debit or prefer to stash your money elsewhere. More banks and cards are coming, but the service won’t initially be as ubiquitous as Apple Pay (which supports debit and most Canadian banks). At least you won’t have to worry as much about where you shop. Samsung Pay has the advantage of working with virtually any payment terminal, so you won’t have to reach for old-school plastic as often as you might otherwise.
Via: Android Central, MobileSyrup
Source: Reddit
Motorola’s metal body Moto M launches with ho-hum specs
Motorola has just launched the 5.5-inch mid-range Moto M by way of its listing on Tmall (China’s equivalent of Amazon). The Moto lineup always garners a lot of interest, thanks to previous stellar models like the Moto G and Moto X Pure Edition. However, the latest model is a bit disappointing. It does have a splash-proof metal unibody and brand new rear fingerprint sensor, but at $295, it’s specifications are wanting next to rival devices.
The device doesn’t pack a massive 5,100 mAh battery as had been rumored, but that was a rather doubtful claim. And the 4GB of RAM, 16-megapixel rear camera and P2i hydrophobic coating are nice, but the eight-core MediaTek Helio P15 processor seems weirdly out of place on a Motorola device. Other specs, at least on the China version, include a 1080p screen, dual SIMs, 32GB of storage and Dolby Atmos sound.
The specs aren’t bad overall, but the device has serious competition now, especially in China. For the same price, you can get the Xiaomi Mi 5s, for instance, which comes with the latest Snapdragon 821 CPU and a front, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Perhaps the Moto M will have a better chance outside of China.
Via: Engadget Chinese
Source: Tmall
Gmail for iOS is finally on par with the Android version
Google wants its services to be on as many devices as possible — to meet that goal, the company has been putting out excellent versions of its apps on the iPhone for years now. That is, except for Gmail, arguably Google’s best-known tool beyond search. The Gmail iOS app was essentially broken when it launched back in 2011. A big update in 2012 made things much better, but the app has only changed in fits and starts since then. Its design doesn’t fit at all with Google’s current standards and it can be very slow. It gets the job done, but there are absolutely better options for accessing Gmail on the iPhone, including Google’s own Inbox app.
Thankfully, Google has finally decided it’s time to bring Gmail for iOS into the modern era. The new Gmail app for the iPhone and iPad rolling out today and it brings both design and functionality up to part with the Android app. Indeed, the app is basically indistinguishable with its Android counterpart now. The basic feature set is essentially unchanged — you have access to all your Gmail labels and the excellent search feature. You can add multiple accounts, and the app reflects whatever Inbox style you’ve picked on the desktop (priority inbox, starred email first, the various tabs grouping social, promotional and update emails and so forth).
All of this worked in the old Gmail app. It was just much uglier if we’re being honest. Now, the bright colors and animations of Material Design are present, emails have a small avatar showing you the sender, the sidebar lets you switch accounts faster — the whole thing looks better and is more efficiently designed.
The old Gmail also didn’t perform like a native app. It reminded me of the old days of app, where many of them were simply a UI wrapper around content being pulled from the web. That made it feel like you were waiting much longer for emails to load than was reasonable in this day and age.
That’s all changed now — there’s no doubt that Gmail is much faster than it used to be. And there are a few new features to the app. They’re not new if you’ve used Gmail anywhere else, but they’re finally in the iOS app. First of all, the super-handy “undo send” feature is now available, saving your butt if you fire off an email to the entire company instead of just one person. You can also swipe a message to automatically archive or delete it, depending on your preference.
As I mentioned, the whole app is faster, but search in particular got an overhaul. Now, you’ll see search results auto-populate as you type, so you don’t have to finish a word or hit enter to find the email you’re looking for. Overall, the app feels like a cross between the old, traditional Gmail app and Inbox, which already had these new features. But if you aren’t a fan of Inbox’s grouping and snoozing features and just want the basic, plain-vanilla Gmail, this app absolutely does the trick.
Google is also bringing a smaller update to the Calendar app for the iPhone today as well (sadly, the update doesn’t include iPad compatibility). There’s not much here, but Google did add one pretty useful feature: Events, reminders and goals that from your Google Calendar are now integrated into the iPhone’s spotlight search. So if you’re looking to make Google Calendar your main option over the built-in iPhone option, things should be a little easier. Google also added support for non-Gregorian calendars like Lunar, Islamic and Hindu — so if you want to see those dates alongside the standard options, that’s there. And if you want to quickly see a full week’s view, just rotate your phone to landscape mode.
Both the updated Gmail and Calendar apps should be rolling out to the App Store today. If you’ve been longing for a first-party Gmail app that feels up-to-date in 2016, definitely download today’s update. It’s been a long time coming, and after a few years using Inbox I might be ready to make the standard Gmail my main email app again. Here’s hoping Google keeps updating it in a timely fashion rather than letting languish for years again.
Android Auto is now a standalone app you can download to your phone
If you’ve driven a car in the past decade or so, you’ve likely noticed just how lousy most in-car user interfaces are. That makes things like Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay a real blessing — but the downside is that you’ll either need to have a relatively new car or purchase a fairly expensive new head unit. Fortunately, Google is making good on a promise it made earlier this year: You can now download the Android Auto app to your phone, which gives anyone access to Android’s driving-focused experience.
You can download the app like any other from the Play Store. Then it’s just a matter of giving the app access to various permissions like calls and messages so that it can play them back for you. Once the app is set up, you’re presented with basically the same interface you’d otherwise see on the screen of a car running Android Auto.
If you haven’t used Android Auto before, it gives you quick access to a small set of features you might want while driving. Probably the most important of those are music and directions. When I launched Android Auto on my Pixel phone, I was presented with a card for controlling my Google Play Music account and one-tap directions to a few places I had recently looked up. Tapping any of those brings you deeper into the app, and tapping the standard Android menu icon presents a few more options.
But in keeping with the focus on driving, not every feature of the app is available. WIth Music, for example, I can get shortcuts to my playlists, queue, podcasts, recent activity and a selection of Google Play Music’s “music for driving” stations. But I can’t just flick through my entire library or search with an on-screen keyboard. Google wants your eyes on the road. However, if you need to do more in the app, you can tap the microphone button and perform a voice search.
Other cards that appear on the screen include your current weather as well as recent calls and messages you may have received. Again, you can’t respond to messages — or even read them. But you can have Google read them back to you. If you get a call, you’ll be presented with full-screen caller ID and big buttons to press to either pick up the call or let it go to voicemail. Likewise, when you receive a text message, you can tap a big button to respond with your voice or mute notifications.
Your missed calls and messages appear on the main Android Auto screen where you can tap to respond (with your voice) or return the call. Messages also have a one-tap auto response, set by default to “I’m driving right now.” After you listen a text message, Android Auto helpfully tells you that you can hit the mic button and say “reply” to send a message back.
The last bit of the interface are three shortcut buttons at the bottom that go into navigation, the phone and music. You can access multiple audio apps besides just Google Play Music, provided you have them installed on your phone. Tapping the navigation button just shows you where you are on a map, with buttons to activate voice search as well as the Google Maps “search along my route” feature that lets you pull up nearby gas stations, restaurants and so on. And the phone app just shows recent calls, favorites and provides you with one-tap access to a number dialer.
You can customize your Android Auto experience a little bit in the settings menu. There are options to modify your auto reply message and set up some “auto launch” features. For example, you can set it so Android Auto starts up every time your phone connects to your car’s Bluetooth system. Lastly, you can set it up so that your screen stays on indefinitely when you’re using Android Auto, or set it to only do that when you have the phone plugged into a charger.
After a few days playing around with Android Auto on the Pixel, I’m sold on this as a quick and easy way to improve your driving experience, though you’ll absolutely need a hands-free phone mount for your dashboard to really use this properly. As someone who generally avoids making calls or sending messages when driving because of the fiddly, terrible UI in my car, this is a blessing.
There are only a few real downsides. For starters, you just don’t see a whole lot of info on your phone’s screen — the UI naturally makes things larger for readability and to make touch targets easier to hit. But that means you can’t see many items on your screen at a time. This is an instance when a bigger device like the Pixel XL would definitely be preferable. The other sad omission is you can’t say “OK Google” to start issuing voice commands. It’s a very strange thing to leave out, but Google has previously said it would add the feature eventually. Fingers crossed it happens sooner than later.
Regardless of what phone you’re using, though, there’s a good chance that Android Auto on a smallish screen is still going to be better and more intuitive than using what’s in your car right now. If you have an Android phone and a dashboard mount for your phone, this new app is definitely worth a shot.
The Morning After: Monday, November 7, 2016
While you were weekending, you might have missed Roku’s cheap, entry-level video streamer, our first 24 hours with Olympus’ intriguing new camera and Samsung’s attempts to hype up its next smartphone way in advance. What’s going on this week? Well, there’s a certain election happening on Tuesday…
The time is now for cheap set-top boxesReview: Roku’s new $30 player is more intriguing than its high-end siblings
The Roku Express is a streaming marvel thanks to its low price. If you can live with some speed issues, it’s perfect for bringing streaming video to screens all over your house — and could well be your first set-top box.
The Mark II is all about speed, image stabilization — and heft24 hours with Olympus’ new OM-D E-M1 Mark II
After a day of using Olympus’ OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Edgar Alvarez says capturing moving subjects is a breeze, especially compared to its aging predecessor. He’s crediting the performance to the new AF system and improved tracking performance. However, a bigger battery ensures it’s heavier than the original E-M1. Intrigued? Then take a look at the sample images — and expect a deeper rundown later this week.
Samsung starts to hype up its next smartphone‘Forget about the Note 7, let’s talk about the Galaxy S8!’
It’s unusual for Samsung to start discussing its future smartphones months in advance. However, given its recent exploding phone issues — it’s not hard to see why the company is already teasing what’s coming next. Following the purchase of Viv, an AI platform from the makers of Siri, it looks like artificial intelligence will be a major feature of Samsung’s next flagship phone.
Tips and cheats, but only for a weekendNintendo is reviving its NES’ hint phoneline
Alongside the launch of the NES Classic Edition on November 11th, Nintendo is resurrecting its Power Line tips hotline next week weekend. Call 425-885-7529 between 9AM and 10PM Eastern each day (until the night of the 13th) and you too can pretend that the internet doesn’t exist, and listen to hints for “several” NES games as well as tales from those who manned the phone-lines back in the day.
But wait, there’s more…
- Pokémon Go’s daily bonuses begin! (And it’s expanded its ‘Nearby’ test areas.)
- In this week’s After Math: Politics in numbers
- US is totally ready to hack Russia if it interferes with the election
Google snaps up the creators of a game-focused Android emulator
You can already run Android apps on a Chromebook, but would you run games and other intensive mobile apps on it? Probably not. However, Google might be taking steps to make that practical. The creators of LeapDroid, an Android emulator that specializes in games, have revealed that they’re joining Google just months after releasing it to the public. The team isn’t discussing “specific plans,” but they’re halting both development and support for LeapDroid. You can continue running the latest version, but you won’t get anything more than that.
It’s not clear just how the deal went down, although the team suggests that this isn’t a straight-up acquisition: LeapDroid is “not affiliated” with Google despite the move. We’ve asked Google for more details and will let you know if it can shed light on what’s happening.
However it happened, the move raises a few possibilities. On a basic level, it could help with Android’s performance in non-native environments — something as fast as LeapDroid could help developers testing Android apps, or give Chrome OS devices an extra boost running mobile titles. In the long term, though, it could be important for that oft-rumored Android/Chrome union. If you’re going to merge two largely disparate platforms, you want to eliminate as many potential hiccups as possible. While there’s no certainty that you’ll see conspicuous uses of LeapDroid’s tech, it won’t be surprising if the extra talent makes Google’s vision of computing that much more realistic.
Via: LeapDroid (Twitter)
Source: LeapDroid
New Zealand carriers will block the Galaxy Note 7
If you think that Samsung’s constant software reminders to return the Galaxy Note 7 aren’t enough to make stubborn owners change their minds, you should book a trip to New Zealand. All of the country’s wireless carriers will block the discontinued smartphone on their networks as of November 18th. Essentially, they’re turning the Note 7 into a paperweight. You can use it on WiFi, but it won’t be very useful as, well, a phone. New Zealand is expected to rely on the same IMEI (hardware identifier) blocking that telecoms use to render stolen phones useless, so you’d have to jump through hoops to have any hope of restoring cellular functionality.
There aren’t many Note 7s left in the country. Its Telecommunications Forum reckons that the number of holdouts has dwindled to the “low hundreds.” Clearly, though, local providers don’t want to take chances. They’d rather not be held responsible if an owner decides to keep the device and watches it go up in flames. You won’t necessarily see other countries follow suit, but it won’t be shocking if that happens. Eventually, the only users left are likely to be those who refuse to give it back — network bans could convince them that it’s not worth the risk just to say that they have a collector’s item.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Stuff
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will include an AI assistant
Samsung isn’t wasting any time before it makes use of Viv’s artificial intelligence know-how. In a an indirect confirmation of rumors, the tech giant has revealed that the upcoming Galaxy S8 will include an AI assistant as one of its star attractions. It’s not offering clues as to what this virtual helper will do, but it will let developers “attach and upload services” to extend the AI’s functionality beyond what you get out of the box. That’s not much different than what Apple and Google are offering for their own assistants, but it may be what Samsung isn’t talking about that’s special — Viv can create its own programs and understand complex intent in a way many AIs can’t.
As for other features, or a release date? Samsung isn’t talking. However, a recent Wall Street Journal report claims that Samsung delayed development of the S8 by weeks to help identify the Galaxy Note 7’s battery fire problem, potentially pushing back the unveiling beyond the usual February/March window.
It’s unusual for Samsung to explicitly discuss future smartphones months in advance. At best, it makes component announcements that are not-so-subtle hints as to the direction of its hardware. However, it’s not hard to see why Samsung would want to build buzz so early. The Note 7’s premature exit didn’t help Samsung’s reputation or its balance sheet — the company both wants to move past the fiasco and reassure phone buyers that it’s worth sticking around. A strong S8 launch could make the Note 7 seem like a distant (if painful) memory and convince many that it’s back to business as usual.
Source: Reuters
Google tries basing its search index around mobile websites
Google isn’t just splitting its search indexes into desktop and mobile versions… it could start prioritizing mobile, too. The internet firm has started experimenting with a “mobile-first” index that primarily ranks sites based on their phone-friendly pages. The company will take the months ahead to refine the experience and make sure that computer users aren’t left by the wayside, but your PC will no longer be the absolute center of Google’s search universe.
The change won’t affect responsive websites that automatically resize to fit your device (like Engadget), and desktop-only sites are fine. The only serious concern is for sites that have separate content for desktop and mobile. Creators will want to check that they aren’t neglecting their mobile sites and make them as easy to search as their PC counterparts.
Google makes no bones about why it’s looking at such a big shift in priorities. Most people search from mobile devices these days — shouldn’t the index reflect the pages you’re more likely to see? While the company has made numerous efforts to improve mobile search in recent years, it’s at the point where it has to make fundamental changes if it wants to stay in sync with reality.
Via: Mashable
Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog
Pokémon Go expands ‘Nearby’ test areas, rolls out daily bonuses
Every time there’s a Pokémon Go update, the number one thing its remaining players ask about is access to a tracker to help locate the little critters. This weekend Niantic Labs announced it’s expanding the test area of its Nearby Pokémon feature from San Francisco to parts of Arizona, Seattle and the rest of the Bay Area. While we wait for that to roll out nation and world-wide, an update that adds the previously-announced daily bonus/streak bonus scheme is about to arrive on Android and iOS.
Beyond the bonus, it also fixes an annoying aspect of Pokémon Go, where once a gym was defeated, anyone nearby could quickly take it over, even if they didn’t defeat the previous owner. Now, the person who defeated the gym will be the only one who can insert a Pokémon and take it over for their team “for a short period of time.”
Also, in a move that probably serves to balance out recent changes that make training at friendly gyms easier, now defeating a gym member will take away more Prestige points, and the amount of Prestige gained from training has been lowered. The cumulative effect is that while it’s easier to get a Pokémon into a gym, it will also be easier to take down gyms maxed out by other teams. If players can actually get some bonuses without using up all of their items or wasting an hour sketchily posted on a street corner, maybe they’ll stick with the game. Maybe.
Trainers in parts of Arizona, the Seattle area of Washington state, and the rest of the SF Bay area can now test the Nearby Pokémon feature.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 5, 2016
Source: Pokémon Go Live
AIVAnet 