3D Projector + Smartwatch Giveaway
We’d like to make your Wednesday a little bit better so we’re sweetening the week by giving away a free Android Smartwatch and a 3D Projector! Our Choose Your Own Smartwatch Giveaway …
8
Feb
Looks like a Meizu smartwatch is about to join the fray
The smartwatch industry has been booming the past year or so, but there are still plenty of device manufacturers that haven’t dipped their toes into the proverbial water yet, and many of these are Chinese manufacturers. Whether it has been a lack of market interest or they are still waiting to see how it pans […]
The post Looks like a Meizu smartwatch is about to join the fray appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
7
Feb
Possible Meizu smartwatch in the works based on leaked image
Chinese and other Asian markets are a growing piece of the smartphone market landscape, but we know the expectations of the buyers in those countries differs from other global markets as there is more emphasis on low price. Apparently one thing that may not be different is interest in wearable devices like smartwatches. To capitalize on that, a newly leaked image suggests Meizu has a device in the works as part of the Blue Charm line of devices.
The leaked image, which may have been pulled from its original posting, purports to show some internal hardware for a Meizu Blue Charm Watch. If true, the device would join the Meizu M1 smartphone and the Meizu Blue Charm Note in the portfolio.
As can be seen in the image, it looks like Meizu has opted to go with a round watch face, following the path of the Motorola Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R. No other details are available about possible specs or other features of a Meizu smartwatch, but odds are the price will be low compared to other devices and it will only be available in China or Asian markets close by.
source: Sina
via: GizmoChina
Come comment on this article: Possible Meizu smartwatch in the works based on leaked image
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7
Feb
Corning’s sapphire-like glass keeps your smartphone scratch-free
Based on hype alone, you’d think that sapphire was the ultimate replacement for glass on phone screens. However, that’s not totally true — while sapphire is extremely scratch-resistant, it’s both more expensive and more likely to shatter if your device nose-dives into the sidewalk. Corning may have found a way to combine the best properties of both materials, though. It recently teased Project Phire, a glass that’s as resistant to drops as Gorilla Glass 4 while touting scratch protection that “approaches” sapphire. The company isn’t saying much more about the technology at this point, but it should go on sale sometime later this year.
Corning hasn’t said which companies are interested in Phire, but it should be important for safeguarding both smartphones and wearables. Although sapphire is cheap enough now that it’s not just reserved for luxury phones and watches, it’s still expensive. You’ll only see it on mid-range and high-end Apple Watch models, for example. Phire potentially brings that kind of anti-scratch protection to lower-cost smartwatches, and makes it more practical for the large displays of modern phones. There’s no doubt that this is a defensive move on Corning’s part — the company was quick to lash out at rumors of sapphire iPhone screens last year and otherwise do what it could to prevent its big clients from ditching glass. Still, that reactionary approach is good news if it means you can keep your devices looking pristine without having to be overly cautious.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Tablets, Wearables, Mobile
Source: CNET
2
Feb
Over 1 million units of the Pebble smartwatch sold so far; New wearables on their way
The Pebble was one of the first smartwatches to go mainstream and take the world by surprise. The company has now announced that it has sold over 1 million units of its smartwatch as of 31st December 2014.
The news was shared by Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky. This is a massive accomplishment for something that started off as a crowd funded project on Kickstarter.
On the eve of this announcement, the company also mentioned that there will be new smartwatches coming soon, further adding to the excitement of the fans and owners.
The company said that there will be new software for the smartwatches, which will be unlike anything we’ve seen on Pebble before. Given that the Pebble currently faces competition from Google’s Android Wear platform, it behooves the company to try something new.
Perhaps Pebble will finally make the shift from e-ink displays to proper LCD panels so as to remain competitive in the business. With Apple expected to launch its smartwatch sometime this Spring, Pebble will have some serious contenders to deal with.
There is no word on what this new software and hardware combination will bring to the table. The company expects to divulge more details sometime later this year.
Via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Over 1 million units of the Pebble smartwatch sold so far; New wearables on their way
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30
Jan
A webOS smartwatch from LG would prove just how right we were!
If you can dream it, you can do it.
Source: The Verge
26
Jan
Next Asus smartwatch might last seven days on a single charge
Speaking on Saturday, Jonney Shih, chariman of Asus, stated that this would be the year the company focuses on pushing its low-cost ZenFone smartphone range to the global market. He also let slip a few thoughts about the company’s successor to the excellent ZenWatch.
Shih hinted that Asus’ next smartwatch could be designed to last up to seven days on a single charge of its battery, a notable improvement over the current ZenWatch’s maximum of two days.
This battery saving likely won’t just come from a larger battery capacity, Asus may be planning to opt for a more energy efficient, lower performance processor next time and might be prepared to cut down or even ditch Android Wear in favour of a more efficient, simplified operating system. Exact hardware details weren’t given, but Asus looks to want to further differentiate itself from other high-end smartwatches by offering additional battery life.
“The ZenWatch is defined by us as a companion to a smartphone, and we think it still has a lot of room for improvement,”
“As a companion device, its central processing unit and operating system should be more simplified than the current version, so that I can use it for up to seven days on one charge, rather than for just two days.” – Jonney Shih, Asus
With Asus talking about a simplified OS, Samsung looking to push Tizen more heavily this year and LG rumored to be preparing its own WebOS powered smartwatch, Google’s Android Wear platform could end up being sidelined by custom built smartwatch operating systems in the future.
Back at the launch of the Asus ZenWatch last year, Shen also let slip that the second-generation ZenWatch is planned for Q3 2015. The smartwatch is said to feature SIM-card funcationality, allowing it to take calls without being tethered to a smartphone. Asus also has plans for two lost-cost “wrist-band like” devices targeted at the health and fitness market.
21
Jan
3D Projector + Smartwatch Giveaway
We’d like to make your Wednesday a little bit better so we’re sweetening the week by giving away a free Android Smartwatch and a 3D Projector!
Our Choose Your Own Smartwatch Giveaway puts a brand-new, top of the line device on one winner’s wrist. He or she will choose from the Moto 360, Samsung Gear 2, or LG G Watch R.
Our 3D Projector Giveaway puts one lucky winner smack-dab in front of their own high-definition 3D projection unit pumping out 3200 lumens of brightness in full 1080p.
Whether you’re looking to beef up your home theater or simply add a bit of modern technology to your arm, there is absolutely no cost to submit your name for either opportunity. Both the Smartwatch and Projector giveways end soon, so enter now. Good luck!
See more at deals.androidguys.com
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21
Jan
22 best Android Wear watch faces
Android Wear is starting to come into its own. The latest round updates added unprecedented smoothness and reliability and the upcoming hardware is both more stable and more stylish. Of course, one of the most important things you’ll need to find is an Android Wear watch face. You’ll look at it more than anything else so you should find one that suits your needs. Here are the best Android Wear watch faces.
To see the best Android Wear apps, click here!
500px
[Price: Free]
500px is actually a wallpaper application where you can find some of the best photography out there and use it as your background. One of the more recent updates added an Android Wear watch face so you can take the gorgeous photos you find on 500px and put them directly on your smartwatch. The layout is minimal but the photos are gorgeous and it is free without in app purchases so you can enjoy it without spending a dime.
About Time Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
About Time Watch Face embraces a minimal design with some smooth animations and a classic set up. It’s an analog style watch face with separate minutes/hours and seconds dials as well as some fun gear animations to give it that expensive watch feeling. It is only for round smartwatches so rectangular watch owners will have to keep looking. It’s designed in a way where the notifications don’t mess with the clock face and that’s important too.
Battery Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Battery Watch Face is a minimal watch face that shows the basics and that includes the time, date, and, of course, the battery level. You can customize the color to suit your tastes and it’s a great option for people who want to keep it simple but informative. If you purchase this watch face, you’ll also get Wear Battery Stats free of charge so you can take advantage of all of the battery monitoring features.
Chrono Watch Face for Wear
[Price: Free / $1.50]
Chrono Watch Face for Wear was one of the earlier watch faces to come out and it remains one of the more popular options now. It features a simple analog-style interface and you can customize the colors to your taste. You’ll also see the battery stats for both your phone and your watch along with the date. It also features 12/24 hour modes, a seconds hand, Samsung Gear Live monochrome mode, and it’s been specially designed to prevent battery drain and burn in.
Despicable Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Despicable Watch Face is here because really, who doesn’t love minions? It also shows how whimsical and fun a watch face can be which is surprisingly rare. It’s a fairly basic watch face and comes with the time and a picture of a minion. It does have a few issues, including no 24-hour mode and no date options. It partially makes up for these by having some fun and goofy animations.
Facer Watch Face
[Price: $1.00]
Facer earned early fame in the watch face game by allowing users to customize and create their own watch faces. It’s even better because those designs can be exported, shared, and imported elsewhere. Thus, a small community of watch themers have created a bunch of Facer watch options and there’s even a subreddit. There are some smaller bugs like some information becoming unsynced but it’s a solid option, especially if you like to change things up often.
Human Time Watch Face
[Price: Free]
Human Time Watch Face is a simple text-based watch face. Instead of having dials or numbers, it simply says what time it is in text. There are 10 fonts and each one can be bolded, italicized, or both. You can also change the position, add a shadow, control capitalization, and you can choose whether or not to show the date. It’s very simple but effective and customizable. It’s also totally free.
InstaWeather for Android Wear
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
InstaWeather for Android Wear is a set of watch faces that focus on showing you the weather as well as the time, date, and sometimes the battery. There are roughly half a dozen watch faces to choose from that showcase the weather in different ways. The app itself also doubles as a weather app complete with weather radar support. You can also get weather alerts for snow/rain, and there are a number of other small features you can play with. Do beware, the app is confusing when you first use it but it works well once you get the hang of things.
Krona Sunlight Watchface
[Price: $1.69]
Krona Sunlight Watchface is another watchface that shows you the weather. This one is a little more sleek and minimal than InstaWeather and useful for people who don’t want a gaudy design. It shows things like temperature, cloudiness, precipitation, and the times of the sunrise and sunset. One of its most unique features is the ability to save the weather for 24 hours so even if your phone loses Internet connectivity, you can still get the weather forecast on regular intervals.
Military Digital Watch Face
[Price: $1.45]
Military Digital Watch Face takes the old school style of military digital watches and puts it on your Android Wear smartwatch. It shows the time, complete date, battery life on both your phone and watch, and finally it shows the step count. On the downside, this is only for circular watch faces so only the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R. It’s a shame it doesn’t support rectangle watches but nevertheless, it’s a great design.
Muzei Live Wallpaper
[Price: Free]
Muzei Live Wallpaper has garnered a positive reputation for being the best live wallpaper for viewing classic art like The Starry Night or The Mona Lisa. As it turns out, Muzei also comes complete with its own Android Wear watch face that pretty much does the same thing. The layout is basic so don’t expect a lot of features but if you’d like to see various pieces of classic art, there’s no better app available than this one.
PAC-MAN Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Fans of old school gaming can get a bit of nostalgia out of a watch face that features the world’s hungriest hero. The PAC-MAN watch face is simple but features some tasteful PAC-MAN graphics that includes the border that features characters from the game down to the time itself, which is in an 8-bit style font. It’s very basic and doesn’t include things like the date or a battery monitor but if you dig simplicity and the 8-bit days, this is a good way to go.
Pujie Black, Pujie Blue, Pujie Red Wear Watch Face
[Price: $1.27, $1.00, $1.00 respectively]
The Pujie colleciton of watch faces feature a variety of designs and customization options in three colors. It sucks a little bit that they all come in different apps but if you don’t like two of the colors, then you’ll probably save money buying just one. Each app has a small set of presets to show you to the kind of stuff you can do but you can ultimately customize the watch to your tastes. There are 13 analog and a totally customizable digital clock to start you out and then you can change a bunch of stuff. It’s not quite as deep as Facer but it’s still a good option.
Ranger Military Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Ranger Military Watch Face is another military-style watch face with a simple but beautiful design and some nifty features. You can view weather, the seconds hand, compass, step tracker, battery levels, and date. The compass and weather is a little finicky but otherwise everything works well. There is also a night-mode that illuminates the watch in green. It’s a solid option for fans of analog watch faces.
Skymaster Pilot Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Skymaster Pilot Watch Face is a more sophisticated option for Android Wear owners. Aside from its astounding design, you can see the time, date, battery indicator, and weather which is supplied by OpenWeatherMap. This is a fairly simple watch face so there aren’t many customization options and what you see is pretty much what you get. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it is a really good looking watch face.
Speeds Pro Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Speeds Pro Watch Face is another analog style watch face with some unique features. You can see the time, date, the seconds hand, step counter, weather, and battery indicator. There is also a feature that shows you how fast you’re going. It only displays in MPH which will turn off a lot of people and reports are that it does use quite a bit of battery. Aside from those issues, it’s a solid watch face that looks nice.
StarWatch Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
StarWatch Watch Face is the watch face to get for fans of space, the cosmos, and the stars. The watch face features a the time and date and you can set it between 24-hour mode and 12-hour mode. The big feature is that the app always shows the stars that are directly above you in a star map format. It looks beautiful and even shows the location of plants and the sun. The image changes based on what time of day it is and what time of year it is.
Station Watch Face
[Price: $0.99]
Station Watch Face is the initial release of all-star icon themer Tha Phlash. It features a fantastic design that can be customized in red, blue, or green and there are a number of other customization features. It shows the time and date as well as the battery level and you can set it to show other things as well. It’s a solid design with a good layout and it works on both circular and rectangular watch faces.
Timeless Wear Watchface
[Price: Free]
Timeless Wear Watchface is a simple digital watch face. It shows the time along with the seconds in both 12-hour and 24-hour formats. There is also an option to keep the background black for battery saving purposes or you can have it show a wallpaper for a bit of extra flair. You can also show the date, change where the clock is so it doesn’t interfere with the “Okay, Google” or notification cards, and you can add custom backgrounds if you wish.
Un Petit Monde Watch Face
[Price: Free]
Un Petit Monde translates to “a small world” and this is one unique watch face. It does the basics like showing the time and date but the background is actually a stop motion video that sort of tells the story of an adventurer named Moses. The animations correlate with the time of day so night time will bring night scenes and day time will bring day scenes. The stop animation videos are a nice touch even if they burn the battery a little bit.
Watch Face Minimal & Elegant
[Price: $0.99]
Last on our list for now is Minimal & Elegant. It’s a unique spin on the digital watch face where the hours and minutes are in rows instead of the standard style. It is, as the name implies, actually kind of elegant. It also shows the date and the battery levels for your watch 
and phone (P). It also comes in 12-hour and 24-hour formats, and you can view the time in text instead of numbers.
WatchMaker Watch Face
[Price: Free / $0.99]
WatchMaker Watch Face is the biggest competition to Facer that you can find. Much like Facer, you can create and customize your own watch faces to make them look, feel, and act how you want them to. Some of the more unique features include calendar support, weather, GIF support, compass, and plenty of other features you can’t find anywhere else. Also like Facer, you can find watch faces made by others if you don’t feel like making your own. It’s great for tinkerers and for those who want to try to make their Wear experience their own.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android Wear watch faces (and we likely did), let us know in the comments!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
45
19
Jan
Report sheds light on the HTC One M9 and a new wearable device
As most of us know by now, HTC is prepping the launch of its Hima/One M9 flagship. The company has even teased the imminent arrival of the flagship by posting a teaser which says “utopia in progress”. A new report now tells us what this event could have in store for us.
In addition to the obvious arrival of the One M9 or the Hima flagship, the company will also launch a new wearable, according to Bloomberg. The company has announced a partnership with fitness brand Under Armour to introduce fitness bands, so this isn’t really a surprise.
This mystery wearable could be based on the UA Record app which is developed by Under Armour. This app is available on all major mobile app hubs around us.
Speaking about the smartphone, the report says that the Hima will come with an octa core Snapdragon 810 SoC, a 20-megapixel rear camera accompanied by a front facing Ultrapixel sensor and Dolby 5.1 speakers. We expect to learn more about the smartphone over the coming weeks. The company is expected to unravel all the mystery during its March 1 event.
Source: Bloomberg
Come comment on this article: Report sheds light on the HTC One M9 and a new wearable device
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15
Jan
[New App] Wear GoPro Remote lets you control your GoPro with your smartwatch
Are you an adventure enthusiast or simply have a GoPro device at your disposal? You will be pleased to know that you can now control this nifty gadget right from your wrist using the Wear GoPro Remote app for Android Wear.
The app doesn’t seem to be available on the Google Play Store, so you will have to download the apk directly from XDA. It allows deep controls for users including the ability to turn on the GoPro device, change camera mode, frame rate or even locate the GoPro device if it goes missing.
Here are some of the essential features listed out by the developer:
- Change camera mode (Video, Photo, Burst, Time lapse)
- Change video resolution and frame rate.a
- Change Time lapse interval.
- Fire shutter to take pictures, start/stop video and see a small preview of the picture taken.
- Fire shutter by shaking your hand (Great for selfies).
- Image gallery to browse images on Camera.
- Set basic settings like Spot Meter, Beep volume, Upside down, LEDs.
- Locate camera.
- Power off/on camera.
Click here to view the embedded video.
This is a relatively new app, so the developer urges users to pass on feedback about any glitches or errors that needs fixing. We’re keeping our fingers crossed to have this app hit the Play Store soon and we don’t think we’ll have to wait much longer. You can download the Wear GoPro Remote for your Android Wear device here.
Via: XDA Forums
Come comment on this article: [New App] Wear GoPro Remote lets you control your GoPro with your smartwatch
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