Tom Maxwell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tWsehRHHaw

You know what I haven’t once thought since purchasing my ASUS ZenWatch? “Man, I wish this thing had a software keyboard!” Nope, not even once. But someone clearly has, as the developers behind the 5-TILES keyboard for Android smartphones have brought their signature tile-based keyboard to Android Wear users in the form of a messaging app, called Wear 5-TILES.

Camp Google is a month long online science camp for kids, launching on July 13

Tom Maxwell Jul 6 2015 - 11:52 am PT

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The Internet has changed the way we access, view, ingest, and share knowledge, and Google has played a big part in that, with its mission from day one being to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible. Now through a new project called Google Camp, the company will train kids to utilize their services as early as possible — starting from the ages of 7-10 years old, specifically. The program seems to focus on online project-based science lessons…

Google releases Material Design Lite, a web framework for making Material Design-style websites

Tom Maxwell Jul 6 2015 - 11:25 am PT

Google Developers, the team at Google which creates tools and learning materials for developers to take advantage of, has released a front-end web framework for building sites to the Material Design specification.

To the surprise of nobody, HTC losses mount in Q2

Tom Maxwell Jul 6 2015 - 8:03 am PT

As predicted by the company itself, Android device manufacturer HTC today reported bleak earnings results for the April through June period. For the three month period, the Taiwan-based company lost NT$8.03 billion after tax and operating costs are taken into consideration. HTC reported profits during the prior four quarters, but apparently those couldn’t hold, likely due to lackluster demand for the One M9. Today’s reported losses spread out over the company’s shares come out to an approximate NT$9.70 ($0.3) per share. Revenue for the quarter was NT$33 billion.

HTC One M9 Developer Edition receiving Android 5.1 OTA update

Tom Maxwell Jul 3 2015 - 1:09 pm PT

HTC’s bootloader-unlocked version of its flagship One M9, the One M9 Developer Edition, is reportedly receiving its update to Android 5.1 Lollipop. The update isn’t yet reflected in the ROM list on HTC’s website, but AndroidCentral has been able to pull it and commenters are indicating it’s arriving on their units, too.
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Here are 3 Android apps to help you read news better

Tom Maxwell Jul 3 2015 - 11:02 am PT

Between Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the 100 other apps and services that vie for my attention in any given day (okay, maybe an exaggeration), it can sometimes feel very debilitating to try and keep up with everything happening in the world. Unless you read all day and train yourself to be a speed reader, how are you to see everything that’s happening in your areas of interest? Most of us just don’t have that kind of time in our lives to stay informed, work 8 hour days, and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. And as we’ve seen in cases like Internet providers’ attempting to prioritize their own services over those of companies like Netflix, being informed matters.

New comScore U.S. data shows continuing decline in Android market share

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 3:30 pm PT

comScore today released its report on United States smartphone subscriber market share for the three month period ending in May. The report, released monthly, tracks the rankings of the top smartphone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and operating systems by consumer adoption. Month-to-month fluctuations in market share aren’t typically major, but they can provide a look at how companies’ new flagship smartphones are doing.

Google appears to be sunsetting the classic Drive UI

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 1:39 pm PT

Are you a holdout who’s been using the classic Google Drive ever since Google unveiled the new design over a year ago? Unfortunately, it seems that your time to give in has come.

Initially spotted by a tipster talking to the (unofficial) Google Operating System blog, the toggle in Drive’s settings dropdown which allowed switching between the new Drive experience and the classic version appears to be disappearing. I can no longer see it myself. It was possible to switch to the classic version by clicking the settings icon in Drive and then choosing “Leave the new Drive”.

We don’t have our own image of it, but thanks to techinfoweb.com here’s what the toggle did look like:

And from a Google support page on how to switch between the two (it’s still live), here’s a comparison of the design and user interface of the new Drive and the classic Drive:

I know a lot of diehard users were upset when Google unveiled the new Drive, but I’m not quite sure what exactly is believed to be worse about the new experience. Maybe one of you can enlighten me?

Fallout Shelter slated for August launch on Android, says VP of Marketing

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 11:57 am PT

Fallout Shelter, the free-to-play mobile game inspired by the popular ‘Fallout’ franchise, is expected to be launched on Android next month, according to developer Bethesda’s Vice President of Marketing Peter Hines.

In a conversation with a user on Twitter asking about an expected launch date for the game, Hines responded that the game is “coming along nice. haven’t announced a date, but should be out next month. we’ll let you know when we have specifics.”

@kolos_kovacs coming along nice. haven't announced a date, but should be out next month. we'll let you know when we have specifics

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) July 1, 2015

The game launched for iOS back at E3 last month with Bethesda at the time promising that an Android release was in the works, but didn’t offer much more information than that. The game hasn’t received the most glowing reviews, however, with many across the Internet saying it gets repetitive very fast and serves as not much more than an advertisement for Fallout 4, the next chapter in the Fallout game for desktop and consoles, which is slated for a November 10th launch.

HTC One M9 Gold Edition shown off in new video with model Kelly Brook

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 11:47 am PT

Kelly Brook is an English model. The HTC One M9 Gold Edition is a limited release One M9 for the UK market. Together they create…something. We’re not sure exactly what, though. The company is promoting the new phone with a video featuring Brook getting showered in gold paint and while it’s a cool video that many will no doubt appreciate, it’s not immediately obvious how the ad is actually trying to sell the device.

Pushbullet for Android update makes pushing files easier with less taps

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 10:41 am PT

After a major update just last week that saw Pushbullet on Android and several other platforms receive an overhauled design and rethinking of how its messaging works, the company has made a small update to its Android app based on community feedback. It’s available in Google Play or you can get the APK from APKMirror.
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This Android Wear app is a fully-functional, serious YouTube player for your smartwatch

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 9:27 am PT

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Update: The premium version is on sale today (July 2nd) for $1.49, or 50% off its regular price. Just press the Google Play icon from within the phone app to upgrade.

Have you ever found yourself standing in line at a coffee shop and thought to yourself, “Man, I really wish I could watch that video of the squirrel playing a tiny violin”? Me too! Fortunately for both of us, our prayers have been answered: Wear Video Tube will stream videos from your Android smartphone to your Wear watch.

Swappa releases app to quickly evaluate the value of your phone or tablet

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 8:17 am PT

Swappa is a relatively small player in the online marketplace space, only dealing in mobile phones and tablets, but it’s quite popular in the Android community and has a new app out that should make it even easier to decide whether or not now is the right time to buy or sell a device.
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Images of purported Xiaomi Mi Band 1s surface, includes heart rate sensor

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 7:53 am PT

Chinese website SOGI.com.tw has posted images of what is purportedly a next-generation Xiaomi Mi Band, reportedly to be called the Mi Band 1s. The only difference we can notice by observing the externals is that it houses a heart rate sensor.

This minor difference would make sense as most Xiaomi hardware is priced incredibly competitively, and anything more than the addition of a heart rate sensor may raise the price more than they’d like. The current Mi Band is available ranging between $15-20 on Mi.com and AliExpress. My only concern is how the sensor will impact battery life, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Have you tried the Mi Band? And if so, do you like it? I personally haven’t tried it, but at such a low price it’s pretty hard to beat. Unless of course you already have a smartwatch or other fitness band with a heart rate sensor.

Artem Russakovskii: code tags are ‘no indication’ 2012 Nexus devices will get Android M

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 6:24 am PT

Update: Previous version of this story said the original post was from yesterday, when it was actually from June 11th. The story made its way to the /r/Android subreddit yesterday.

Last night a story bubbled up in the Android community that led many to believe that older Nexus devices – specifically the Nexus 4, 7, and 10 – would be receiving official updates to Android M, Google’s upcoming major release of Android. Artem Russakovskii from Android Police, however, has come out on Google+ to say that the evidence presented shows no indication that these devices will be updated.

Pro-tip: Saying “hello” to Google Now voice search brings up command suggestions

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 3:06 pm PT

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Am I taking full advantage of Google Now’s voice search?” The point of Now is to make our lives easier through proactive assistance and easy-to-use voice commands, but there are so many of these commands available that it’s not always easy to remember all of them, especially while you’re out on the go. And how many people are going to read through all of the possible commands when they first get a phone that supports Google Now?

Fortunately, a user posting to the /r/Android community on Reddit noticed that when you activate Google voice search and simply say “hello,” Now will present you with a list of commands you can use to get things done faster. At the bottom is a card that shuffles through lots of smaller, miscellaneous voice actions like, “Post to Google+ I’m feeling lucky.” Nice touch.

New designs of purported Galaxy S6 Edge Plus further corroborate device’s existance

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 3:04 pm PT

Notorious leaker @OnLeaks, real name Steve Hemmerstoffer, has shared a new CAD design of what purports to be the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

Google My Maps getting greater exposure with new Drive quick-access button

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 1:07 pm PT

Google’s My Maps product was launched all the way back in 2007 and still isn’t very well known, but it’s a really cool service for Apps customers and it’s receiving even more attention now with a quick-access button inside Google Drive.

Player FM integrates Subscribe on Android for easily subscribing to podcasts

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 11:51 am PT

Player FM released version 2.6.4 of its podcast player to Google Play today, bringing with it integration of the Subscribe on Android protocol. The protocol was created to “give Android listeners the same One Click subscription experience that iOS and iTunes users have.” Basically, once you have Player FM installed, any raw XML podcast feed URLs you click will launch to Player FM where you can then subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes automatically downloaded as they’re published. It’s basically like deeplinking but works with far more URLs than deeplinking traditionally can, and is less convenient than Android app intents.

Deeplinking is a way through which constellations of apps can become more interconnected by quickly and seamlessly moving users between one another when specific links are pressed. And while Android M is bringing with it improved app linking so links from anywhere, not just from within a developer’s own apps, can launch to an app without needing to open the intents menu, this won’t work for URLs that aren’t owned by the developer. Feed URLs for podcasts found from around the web won’t just seamlessly open to your favorite podcast app, but with an app that uses Subscribe on Android like Player FM, they can. Mostly, at least, as Feedburner podcast feeds don’t seem to work.

You can get Player FM on the Play Store for free.

Local advertisers can now display places ratings in their AdWords ads

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 10:52 am PT

In a world where we’re increasingly reliant on our phones to navigate the world, online reviews can make or break local businesses. Lawsuits regarding negative reviews show up in the news at least a couple times every year, and these review pages are increasingly becoming the battleground where individuals protest against businesses partaking in practices they disagree with. On the other hand, however, a good rating online can entrench and create a moat around a business for years to come. That’s why Google now allows advertisers to include their Google reviews in their AdWords ads.
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Snapchat for Android moves away from press and hold to view Snaps and Stories

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 10:25 am PT

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Snapchat, the don’t-call-it-a-sexting-app picture and video communication app of youth ages 14-35, has received a major update today which will include a change in the mechanism for viewing content, as well as a new way to add friends. There’s also a fun—but less functional—change to Snapcodes, those QR codes that make it easy to add friends using just your camera…

Moto X (1st gen) Lollipop upgrade rolling out to carrier models in bevy of countries

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 9:08 am PT

Motorola has a way of saying software is ready when it isn’t, and publishing release notes for major upgrades long before they actually begin rolling out. It can often feel like deja vu to see the announcement of an update rollout multiple times, so we of all people know that it can be frustrating. That said, Motorola’s David Schuster has posted to his Google+ account this morning to announce that the 1st-generation Moto X is receiving Android 5.1 starting today in a whole host of countries…