Lenovo renames Moto’s Twitter account
As part of their rebranding efforts related to Motorola, Lenovo updated the name on the company’s Twitter account. The account is now @Moto_USA and is named “Moto US” to reflect the dropping of the Motorola brand.
To kick off 2016, Lenovo announced that they would be dropping the Motorola name from their branding efforts. This does not mean the company is dropping Motorola’s line of devices though and they are keeping the Moto brand name for what will become the company’s higher end devices. The Moto devices will join Vibe devices in Lenovo’s branding portfolio.
Lenovo has already announced they have plans for a new Moto smartphone to be launched this summer. Leading up to that Lenovo will be working to implement a variety of changes to effectively purge the Motorola brand so that Moto can stand on its own. This move to rename the Twitter account is one of those steps.
source: Moto US (Twitter)
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Motorola rolling out Marshmallow to Moto G (2014) in India
Motorola after a successful soak test is quickly rolling out Android Marshmallow for the Moto G (2014) in India.
Motorola’s David Schuster announced that the update for India was in its soak test stage a couple weeks back. The soak test seems to have been a success, and now Motorola is widely rolling out the update for the Moto G (2014) throughout India.
As a quick refresher, Marshmallow brings a handful of new features like Doze, Google Now on Tap, App Permissions, and more. Motorola with Marshmallow is also retiring some built-in applications, such as Moto Assist, Motorola Migrate, and Motorola Alert. Keep in mind that Assist features aren’t leaving the smartphone, just the application, as many of the Assist features have been built into other parts of Android.
Keep in mind that updates like these do take awhile to get out to everyone. That said, you can either wait for the update prompt or check for it manually in Settings > About Phone.
Have you gotten the update? Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below!
source: Motorola
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Deal: use this coupon to get the Motorola Droid Turbo for $169.99
If you want to find good deals on smartphones you can always check out our ‘Best cheap Android phones‘ list. But every now and then you can also find deals that may offer more bang for your buck. For example, today you can get a Motorola Droid Turbo for a little less than what a Moto G costs.
Groupon is currently offering the Motorola Droid Turbo for $199.99, but you can also use coupon code “EXTRA15” during checkout to bring the price down to $169.99. Yes, it is a refurbished product, but that is not a bad price considering Amazon has the same device $275 (also refurbished).
Just keep in mind the Motorola Droid Turbo is a bit old, so it may not be getting many future updates to come (if any). Also, it is still a Verizon device, so not everyone can enjoy the phone. Aside from that, you are getting pretty good specs considering the price point.
This phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage a 21 MP rear shooter and a 2 MP front facing camera. In addition, there is a 5.2-inch QHD display. There’s also the part that made it famous – its 3900 mAh battery, which is bound to last you quite some time.
See also: Motorola Droid Turbo Review
You can read our review to catch all the details and learn all about it. The red version is no longer available, but if you want the black one you should probably act fast. We don’t know how much longer this deal will be around.
Doze Mode and app permissions may soon come to Android Wear devices
Google just recently announced a big update to the Android Wear platform that would bring a number of useful features to all current Wear watches. Among those changes are official speaker support for placing and receiving calls on your wrist, as well as a handful of new gestures that should come in handy. As of now, we’ve only seen the second-generation Moto 360 receive the update to Marshmallow. In the release notes for that update, we can see that Google actually left out a few notable features that would eventually be making their way to Android Wear devices.
Alongside a few of the features we knew would be coming to the watch, Motorola also explains that the Moto 360 would be getting Doze Mode and app permissions with this new update.
It makes perfect sense for Doze Mode and app permissions to be available on Android Wear. As explained in the release notes, if you’re not using your Wear device, Doze Mode will kick in and help save some precious battery life. This is also bolstered by a better screen dimming implementation that will help reduce battery drain when always-on screen is turned on. Also, with the addition of app permissions, now you’ll be able to have more control over what you share with your installed apps.
The company also mentions that the Moto Body Running app will come to standard Moto 360 (2nd Gen.) devices.
It’s worth noting that Google hasn’t commented on Doze Mode or app permissions coming to Android Wear, so we aren’t entirely sure if these features will make their way to all devices. It would make sense that all smartwatches will get these new features, but we’ll unfortunately have to wait to know for sure. Google says the big update will be rolled out to devices over the next few weeks, and we’ll let you know if these new features are present on other devices.
Moto 360 (2nd gen) update puts Marshmallow on your wrist
Got a 2nd gen Moto 360? You are in for a sweet Marshmallow treat, as Motorola has started pushing out the latest Android Wear update to the popular wearable.
The upgrade comes with new features like Doze mode, screen dimming, improved app permissions, new gestures, Moto Body Running, the ability to set the time manually and Bluetooth audio improvements. Of course, we can’t forget about the usual batch of performance improvements and bug fixes.
See also: Moto 360 (2nd Gen.) review
It’s a significant update, which is why your Moto 360’s battery needs to be at at least 50% in order for the update process to go through. Honestly, I would just leave it charging will the whole thing finishes up.
Also read:
- Best Android Wear watches
- 10 best Android Wear apps
- 10 bet Android Wear games
- 10 best Android Wear watchfaces
As it usually goes with these updates, Moto 360 (2nd gen) users will be getting those upgrade notifications in phases. If you are not getting yours yet, just wait patiently. Motorola mentions it should take “a few days” to roll out, but we all know how that goes.
Have any of you actually received the update yet? Which is your favorite new feature? Hit the comments to let us know!
Latest Android Wear update is on its way to the Moto 360 (2015)
Good news for anyone currently wearing a Moto 360 (2015)! It looks like Motorola is pushing out the Marshmallow update to the smartwatch, bringing all those newly announced Android Wear features to the stylish wearable. Things like Doze support, improved gestures, and alternate messaging platforms are all on board, plus all the things that Motorola has baked in. While that update does enable speakers on watches that have them, the Moto 360 does not include any kind of speaker, so don’t get your hopes up there.
Motorola is enabling support for six new languages in the update, plus tons of bug fixes related to step counts, audio playback, and the mandatory stability and performance improvements.
The update should be rolling out over the next few days, so keep an eye out for it.
source: Motorola
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Motorola’s now selling the Moto 360 Sport through the Google Store in Canada
Motorola has just launched the latest iteration of its Moto 360 smartwatch, the Sport, on the Google Store in Canada. The device has been available to purchase in the region exclusively from Best Buy in various colors for the past couple of weeks, but it’s now listed on the search engine giant’s official Android Wear page in the gorgeous black colorway for $379.99 CAD ($280 USD).
For those who missed its announcement back in December 2015, the Sport is a more lightweight version of the traditional leather-band Moto 360. It’s aimed at the more active amongst us and comes with a plethora of nifty sensors which track your daily steps, calorie intake and heart rate. You can also pre-load music onto the device for wireless playback during exercise.
As the Moto 360 Sport runs the latest build of Google’s Android Wear open-source operating system, you have the facility to place calls, send texts, peruse notifications, keep track of to-do lists, follow directions and, of course, check the time without having to pull out your smartphone, too.
If you’re based in Canada, like the sound of the Moto 360 Sport and want to pick one up in black from the Google Store — hit the source link below.
Source: Google Store
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Tronsmart Titan 10A/90W 5-port USB charger charging station: review
Being a mobile enthusiast is a fun hobby. I find technology vital to staying connected while it helps me be efficient and on task. With that comes the need to charge a wide range of devices. And I can honestly tell you that with different charging specs on tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, speakers and cameras that having the right charger can mean the difference between destroying a battery and staying powered up.
I have been using the Tronsmart Titan 90W Charging Station with five ports to charge up all of my devices lately and I can tell you that I love it. Chargers are more commonplace than any other accessory, but high-quality chargers are a rare breed.
Design
The Tronsmart Titan is a 90W charger with enough power to charge five devices at full speed all of the time. The five port charging station is relatively big for a charger with a decent amount of weight, but really isn’t an issue for me. I don’t like desktop chargers that are so light that they shift around with light movement. It measures 6.25 x 3.25-inches while being about an inch thick and comes in a matte plastic finish with four rubber feet on the bottom.
There are five full USB sized charging ports in the front, with good spacing between them, so you don’t have force fit the five cables right next to each other. The center of each port is colored green which is a thoughtful addition as it makes it easy to see each port against the black plastic.
Each USB port is rated at 18W for a grand total of 90W, and each port comes with smart technology that allows you to charge your latest devices at the fastest speeds, including Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0.
The back of the charger holds the power switch so you can turn the charger on/off and not worry about vampire energy drain which can end up costing you a lot of extra money.
What are Energy Vampires?
Check out this excerpt from energy.gov:
Take, for example, the seemingly innocuous cell phone charger. As cellphones have become a staple of modern life, so have the devices that power them. To ensure that they’re able to be in constant contact, many Americans carry chargers in their bags, have them in their cars and even their office. So it shouldn’t come as much surprise to find that many cell phone users have one or more chargers constantly plugged in at their home. What most people don’t realize is that these chargers are continually drawing power, even when no device is connected to them. In fact, the average charger is consuming .26 watts of energy when not in use, and 2.24 watts even when a fully charged device is connected to it.
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By themselves, those watts won’t cause a huge increase in your energy bill. But if you add other common devices to the equation, you’ll begin to see why energy vampires are often responsible for adding 10 percent or more to your monthly utility bill.
Usage
I normally don’t think twice when it comes to chargers, but with my recent switch to Nexus devices with USB Type-C, and to unlocked smartphones, having the right charger has never been more important to me. The Tronsmart Titan touts VoltIQ technology which is the brains behind controlling the charging speeds depending on needs. Once you plug in your devices, the VoltIQ smart tech automatically identifies the voltage settings and adjusts charging speeds accordingly to make sure your device does not overheat and overcharge.
I really have no complaints when it comes to using the Tronsmart Titan. It charges all of my USB devices at the proper rate, and it is safe for the most sensitive devices like those with USB Type-C. I use it with my Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nuu Z8, Samsung Gear S2, Huawei Watch, LG V10, and NVIDIA Shield. It comes with me on all of my business trips in place of bulky individual chargers, and helps me minimize vampire energy drain with a simple flip of the power switch.
Specifications
Input: 100-240V (Max)
Output: 5V/2A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A (Max)
Total power:90W
What you will get
1 x Tronsmart UC5F Desktop USB Charger
1 x 5 Foot AC Power Cord
1 x Welcome Guide
Summary
Overall the Tronsmart Titan 90W 5-port USB charger is everything I could want in a desktop charger. It’s smart, safe and charges my devices at the quickest possible speeds. You can find it on sale now at Amazon.com for just $37.99. I highly recommend it.
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Moto 360 (2014) and Sony SmartWatch 3 are no longer for sale in the Google Store
Smartwatches have only been around for a few years, but just like everything, what was once new is now old. The original Moto 360 and the Sony SmartWatch 3 are no longer being sold in the Google Store.
Their webpages are still active, but clearly state “no longer available for purchase”. The purchase button is also greyed out and only says “not available”.
However, Motorola has already released a 2nd gen Moto 360 a while ago, which consumers are more likely to purchase, and have a new Moto 360 Sport out too. It isn’t too much of a shock that the Google Store has stopped selling the 1st gen version. Sony, on the other hand, has not released a Sony SmartWatch 4 yet, but you can at least get the Sony SmartWatch 3 at other stores if you really want one.
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Lenovo reveals new Moto branding position with Q3 financial results
Lenovo announced their third quarter financial results revealing they had returned to profitability for their smartphone division consistent with a commitment made after acquiring Motorola. In addition, Lenovo also revealed what their branding strategy would be for the Moto line of devices after it was recently revealed they would be dropping Motorola branding.
When Lenovo acquired Motorola, they indicated they had plans to achieve at least a breakeven status for their Mobile Business Group within four to six quarters. Lenovo combined restructuring efforts with strong performance in markets outside of China, notably emerging markets in India and Indonesia, to achieve a pre-tax loss for the business unit of only $30 million USD, which was a loss margin of only 0.9 percent.
Lenovo indicated smartphone volume declined to 20.2 million units for the third quarter, down 18.1 percent compared to the same quarter a year earlier. However, sales outside of China increased by 15 percent year-over-year driven by sales increases of 206 percent and 318 percent in India and Indonesia respectively. Lenovo says the share of sales volume outside of China increased to 83 percent during the third quarter.
Looking forward, Lenovo says they will employ a new dual-brand strategy for their smartphone portfolio. The brands will include Lenovo Moto and Lenovo Vibe.
Outside of the smartphone business, Lenovo saw quarterly revenue fall to $12.9 billion USD, an eight percent decrease year-over-year while pre-tax income was $397 million USD. Net income was also up at $300 million USD. These results exceeded analyst’s estimates. Lenovo noted that the company is dealing with issues like a general business slowdown as well as a decline in the PC market. Thanks to diversification into so many areas, Lenovo is weathering the situation.
source: Lenovo (BusinessWire)
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