Late last year Samsung used a punchy video on YouTube to introduce a new platform “that allows users to seamlessly transition their activities across their devices.” They called it Samsung Flow, and today it has finally become available in the Google Play Store with the “beta” moniker slapped to the end of its name.
Starting May 28th, Verizon will begin selling the Motorola DROID Turbo in Gray Ballistic Nylon with a new choice of three different metallic accent colors. The accent colors customers will be able to choose from include metallic blue, metallic orange, and metallic violet. The DROID Turbo sports a 5.2″ Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and pixel density of 565 ppi, along with a 3900 mAh non-removable battery quoted for up to 48 hours of usage. Verizon’s model includes 32GB of onboard storage and no expandable memory slot.
While the DROID Turbo still runs Android 4.4 KitKat, it’s widely expected to receive a bump to 5.1 Lollipop very soon. The phone with new accent color options will go for $20.83 per month under Verizon Edge, or $99 with a 2-year contract. The retail price for a factory unlocked unit is $499.
In a Google+ post today by François Beaufort of the Chrome team, Beaufort mentioned the introduction of a long-needed feature to the Chrome OS development channel which allows a window to span multiple displays. The new feature is called “Unified desktop mode” and can be enabled by simply visiting chrome://flags/#ash-enable-unified-desktop if you’re running the newest dev channel version of the browser-based OS.
One example he provides for how this might be useful is that those using Citrix Receiver for Chrome—which allows its users to create and use virtual machines of Windows over the Internet—can now run a multi-display setup of Windows right from their Chromebook. For those who want a simple, easy-to-use computer but might need to use Windows periodically for one or two specific applications, this will be a huge boon and make the Chromebook that much more versatile.
Head over to Google’s Chrome OS channel support page to learn how to switch your instance of Chrome OS to the Dev channel. Bugs and issues with Unified desktop mode can be reported to the Chrome team by pressing <Alt> + <Shift> + i.
Google today introduced its new default font family for Google Play Books, tweeting to show off the new typeface and saying that it’s “perfect for long reads on all devices.”
Introducing Google Play Books' new font, Literata. Perfect for long reads on all devices. https://t.co/VQfT6oZvVU pic.twitter.com/eF3B1MJpkX
— Google Play (@GooglePlay) May 18, 2015
The new typeface default was actually included in Play Books version 3.4.5, released May 6th, alongside a new card-based interface for text translation and the ability to create notes in book samples. This, however, is the first time that Google has drawn any attention to the new font which replaces Droid Serif as the default.
The company commissioned the font from Type Together, a firm focused on creating new type designs tailored for corporate use. The group often works alongside companies like Google, and here’s what the design firm said about the challenge designing for digital books:
A new book typeface was needed that would provide an outstanding reading experience on a whole range of devices and high resolution screens running different rendering technologies. Additionally, the new Play Books type is meant to establish a recognisable visual identity for Google’s native eBook App and stylistically distinguish itself from other eReader competitors.
The electronic or digital book represents one of the most important challenge designers and developers face today. The technical limitations of devices regarding rendering of type, together with their variety of physical sizes, are only two of the main obstacles eBooks have to tackle. These facts contribute to an unfair yet appropriate comparison with their analog counterpart, where typography plays a leading role. The Play Books project offered an opportunity to approach some of these problems from a new perspective.
And further, how they arrived at the style they chose:
TypeTogether’s counterpart team at Google, lead by senior UX designer Addy Lee Beavers, agreed that the desired typeface should have a more interesting and varied texture than other fonts being used in eBooks or ones generally developed for on-screen use. This could be achieved by means of slanted stress, less mechanic letter structure and varied horizontal proportions of characters. Based on these premises and on an intensive iterative process, TypeTogether arrived at a solution of hybridisation taking inspiration from both Scotch and old-style Roman types. The resulting letterforms create a pleasant organic texture that helps to deliver very good results for ease of reading and comfort.
Literata most notably has a lower x-height and higher ascenders than Droid Serif, and features two different weights and matching italics. It includes PanEuropean language support—meaning that Western, Central, and Eastern European languages are all included—as well as type for full Latin extended, Polytonic Greek, and Cyrillic.
Type Together has made more pictures of the typeface available on Flickr.
Update (Verizon): If this page on Samsung’s support website is to be believed, 5.0.2 should soon begin rolling out to users of Verizon’s Galaxy Tab S 10.5 as well. The page includes no additional info on the update, like download size or enhancements beyond those included in Lollipop itself, save for the date released (5/20/2015) and the software version number (T807VVRU1BOD2).
Update 2 (Sprint): Now the changelog for Sprint’s variant of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 has been updated to reflect an upgrade to 5.0.2 as well, so it should be rolling out soon. Separate from the enhancements and bug fixes included in 5.0 Lollipop and those added by Sprint, this update also removes the Lumen Toolbar which most Sprint users consider to be crapware.
Update 3 (US Cellular): And now we have the changelog for U.S. Cellular’s variant of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, so 5.0.2 should be going out over air for those devices soon. The description includes nothing more than the list of enhancements and bug fixes that are included in standard 5.0.2 Lollipop. The release date is listed as today and the software version number is T807R4TYUBOE5.
Owners of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 on T-Mobile’s network may fret no more. If you haven’t already, you should soon see an over-the-air update come to your device updating it to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.
The device has up until now run Android 4.4 KitKat, with the AT&T model receiving an OTA update to Lollipop last week and the WiFi variant having received it back in March. It would be nice if this update would have been to a newer, more stable version of Lollipop like 5.1.1, as earlier versions including 5.0.2 have been known to cause a bevy of problems for many devices.
But alas, as the picture above shows, the update bumps the software version of the T-Mobile Galaxy Tab S to T807TUVU1BOE1. The full download comes in at a whopping 1.1 GB.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4
Samsung has in the past taken the cover off new additions to its Galaxy Note line of phablets the day before IFA Berlin, held in early September, but according to a new report out today the successor to the Galaxy Note 4 might be coming a bit sooner…
For owners of a limited set of Android Wear watches running Android 5.1.1 (namely the LG Watch Urbane and ASUS ZenWatch), Google Play Music has today become a little more useful. The cloud music service from Google just received an update which allows users to navigate to music from their watch through three pre-existing features: “Listen Now,” “Recent Playlists,” and “Radio.”
Another day, another Samsung Galaxy S6 Active leak. This time courteous of, well, Samsung itself. The device is listed in a table on the page for the company’s Samsung Plus benefits program.
The company seemingly hasn’t placed much effort into keeping this one under lock and key as we’ve already reported on several different leaks of the S6 Active over the past two days alone. The device is expected to be, like the S5 Active, a ruggedized variant of the flagship Galaxy S6 with similar internals and neither a fingerprint sensor nor capacitive touch back and mulitasking menu buttons, in favor of more rugged ones. This evening’s mistake on Samsung’s part all but confirms the Galaxy S6 Active should be arriving soon.
Update: Either the individual who sent that tweet from before (it was pulled) misspoke or information has changed, because in a press release today T-Mobile officially announced May 27th – so, tomorrow – online availability of the phone with a June 3rd launch in nationwide stores. The carrier in partnership with LG is also throwing in a 128GB SD memory card for free while supplies last, and apparently has an exclusive on the brown leather back plate, so get on it!
LG and T-Mobile have set off on a nationwide tour of the United States to promote the newly announced LG G4, and it appears that this tour has now brought us a firm date for the device’s in-store launch on the country’s third-largest carrier. In a conversation between the Twitter account of LG’s Preview Tour and a prospective customer, LG said the following in response to a question about availability on AT&T:
https://twitter.com/G4Preview/status/598877993717501953
It’s not clear whether the tweet was confirming availability on AT&T or T-Mobile, or both, but considering that the Twitter account is part of a promotional campaign between T-Mobile and LG, we have to assume they’re confirming a launch date for the Magenta network.
All the major U.S. carriers have committed to selling the device—Sprint and US Cellular have pledged to start selling it in June (you can pre-register on Sprint here)—but this is the first time we’ve heard a hard timeline for nationwide availability from any carrier.
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While those of us living at the bleeding edge of technology (aka Uber) may not have a use for this, HTC knows that many people still drive and need a safe way to get information while keeping their eyes on the road. That’s why they today released a previously HTC One-exclusive Android app called HTC Car, which turns your smartphone into an in-car dashboard, to the Play Store…
Coinbase today received an update on Android (and iOS) which allows users in the United States and Europe to sign up and link their bank accounts straight from the mobile app…
The folks behind the Android version of Google Chrome made an announcement earlier today that they’ll be hosting an AMA on Reddit later this evening. The term ‘AMA’, for those less well versed in Internet terminology, stands for “asking me anything.” You’ll, well, be able to ask them anything you’d like—be it about Chrome for Android, the team’s favorite desert (ice cream sandwiches, perhaps?), or whatever else.
The AMA won’t start until 3PM Pacific Daylight Time/6PM Eastern , which is about 20 minutes from the time of posting this. The team says they’ll being answering questions until 5PM PDT. You can, however, queue up your questions here early and cross your fingers that they’ll answer yours. They ask that you report all bugs through the bug tracker.
Google cares about your health and wants to help you stay in shape, which is why the company today released a set of updates and new features for the Google Fit platform across Android smartphones and Wear watches that make it easier to track your daily progress and fitness goals…
Following yesterday’s leak of images of an AT&T Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, Samsung’s ruggedized variant of its flagship Galaxy S line of smartphones, it looks like the device has received the FCC’s stamp of approval.
The model number SM-G890A was originally leaked by @upleaks and is highly suspected to be that of the Galaxy S6 Active, as AT&T’s Galaxy S5 Active had a model number of SM-G870A, and because @upleaks has a strong track record in the hardware-leaks department.
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Samsung has offered a ruggedized variant to its flagship line of smartphones for several years now, and it looks like that will continue.
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If you have a pair of sharp eyes and watch cat videos on YouTube a lot, you may have noticed today that the font used on Google’s video streaming website has changed. It is now Roboto, subtlety different from the previous font—Arial.
Roboto is the official type family used for Android. The font comes in several weights but the one Google has gone with is slightly lighter than what users may be used to compared to the Arial font. This will surely lead to some complaints about it being harder to read, but I think it looks fine, and going for consistency across platforms is logical.
The company previously tested the change with a small group of users, so they at least have data to back up their decision.
Have you noticed the new font? What do you think about it?
Whereas the HTC One M9 may have seen its image damaged by reports of Snapdragon 810 heating issues (whether or not they’re accurate is up to you to decide), the One M8 is a great phone featuring a 5-inch full HD display, Android Lollipop, a Snapdragon 801 processor, and a bunch more. What’s more, you can get it for only $299 on AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon from Best Buy right now…
The One M8 is just a good compromise — not too dissimilar from the One M7, but without the rampant reports of performance issues hanging over the M8. If I were in the market for a new phone, especially at a carrier-unsubsidized price, I know I’d be taking a hard look at this sale. It’s available today while supplies last.
The basis upon which many Consumer Reports ratings are set may seem insane to the technology savvy among us. For a long time they would not recommend the iPhone for its lack of removable battery, for example. But the site still holds weight among older generations and so it’s worth taking a look at what they have to say about the top smartphone manufacturers’ newest flagship devices. Like how they recommend the last-gen Samsung Galaxy S5 over the newer Galaxy S6…
An anonymous source today sent two images to GSMArena showing off what is allegedly the unannounced Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. From surface level inspection it looks plausible that this is a legitimate leak. Samsung went with a different typeface and branding for the Galaxy S6 line, and comparing the lettering and font of the words to that of the S6 it looks like this phone is at least similar to the main flagship in that regard.
Nuance Communications today released version 1.9 of Swype Keyboard for Android, “the world’s most powerful keyboard,” which now includes easier number entry and two-word phrase prediction, among other improvements.
Google today launched a new extension for Chrome that’s intended to directly help the company improve its browser. It’s called Chrome User Experience Surveys, and the gist is that users with the extension installed will occasionally get a pop up survey in their browser window when something unusual or unintended occurs in their browsing experience; these surveys should typically take less than 2 minutes to complete and are capped at appearing a maximum of four times per week.
In the company’s product forums, the Chrome team has proactively provided answers to some concerns they anticipate to be raised, including whether or not the company will collect and store browsing history with this extension (answer: no), and whether or not the extension will impact a user’s browser performance (again, the answer is no). “The only data this extension sends to Google is when these infrequent events occur and your survey responses,” the team states in the post. Keep in mind that if you use other Google services like Search and Gmail, they probably already have a lot of data about you anyway.
AT&T today announced that it will soon begin selling the budget AT&T Trek HD 4G LTE (let’s just call it the Trek HD), the nationwide carrier’s first company-branded tablet. In its press release, the company says the tablet will be available to purchase on their website starting May 12th and in AT&T stores starting May 15th, and notes right in the first sentence, and on multiple other occasions, that it will run Android Lollipop…
Google+ Collections is a neat new way to follow and share curated sets of Google+ posts based on your interests, and it started rolling out as recently as May 4th. Google perhaps believes Collections to be so neat, in fact, that when they axed the ability to share set groups of people and pages earlier this week, they did so with nary an announcement (via Google Plus Daily). That, or so few people actually used this “Shared Circles” feature that the announcement of its removal wasn’t really necessary.
Since Google never even mentioned this change, we can’t know the exact reason behind the feature’s removal. But the feature as of late was used mostly for spamming, with lots of posts on the network soliciting users to add a Circle and reshare, which resulted in little to no engagement from new followers and lots of junk content in your feed. Again, the Google+ Collections tool has a similar intended use, allowing you to see groups of related content — but, not necessarily users. It’s definitely worth checking out if you were someone who used Shared Circles.
Advertisers want to know that when they pay for a video ad on YouTube or elsewhere across the web, that the advertisement can actually be seen by viewers. A lot can effect an ad being seen, such as the viewer never scrolling to the part of the page where the ad is placed, or users simply scrolling past the ad too quickly to really catch a glimpse. Taking a look into these things, Google recently published the results of a study identifying the “5 factors of viewability,” or, in other words, the things that impact the chance of a video ad being seen.
Unsurprisingly, YouTube and Google’s video ad strategy seems to be strong compared to the rest of the web…
Samsung announced today that owners of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge can now order the Gear VR Innovator Edition online for $199 through either the Samsung website or BestBuy.com. The headset won’t be available in Best Buy retail stores until May 15th, however…
