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Friday, June 27, 2014

$100 worth of Android apps are free today from the Amazon Appstore




Phandroid





$100 worth of Android apps are free today from the Amazon Appstore



fire phone


If you use the Amazon Appstore you are probably familiar with their “Free App of the Day” program. As the name implies, every day they make one paid app available for free. It’s a pretty neat promotion if you actually use the Amazon Appstore. If you don’t use the Amazon Appstore we may have a good reason for you to start.


Amazon is putting 31 of its most popular paid Android apps up for free. All of the apps combined are worth over $100. The list features a great mix of apps for planning, travel, weather, productivity and games. Amazon is running this promotion today and tomorrow (June 27-28). If you’re interested in these apps you can get the Amazon Appstore by following these steps. Check out the full list of 31 apps and games below. Enjoy!









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Mobile Roar 51: Google I/O 2014




Phandroid





Mobile Roar 51: Google I/O 2014




“Android is everywhere.” Everyone always says that, but this year at I/O it was demonstrated on stage. They showed it on watches, TVs, cars, phones, tablets, and even PCs. We talk about all of this, plus Android’s new design, and why protesters hate Google. It’s Google I/O discussion from start to finish this week. Thanks for watching/listening!


Top Stories



Wins/Fails from IO



  • Joe: Android Wear / LG G Watch pricing

  • Chris: Material Design / No Google Glass


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You can now trial Samsung Galaxy devices at five Galaxy Studio locations



samsung-logo


Samsung is kicking off a pilot program to allow potential customers to try out their new phones and smartwatches (Samsung specifically mentioned the Galaxy S5, Note 3, Gear 2 and Gear Fit) for a bit of time. It’ll be great for those who are wondering if the grass really is greener on the other side and wouldn’t mind giving it a real no obligation try for themselves. You’ll get 21 days — a full three weeks — to see if the device you are interested in is worth the money.


There is one caveat: you’ll have to agree to a refundable deposit on your debit or credit card. Unfortunately Samsung doesn’t specify how much this deposit is, though it shouldn’t be so much that it’ll tie up all your finances. The deposit is fully refunded at the end of the trial period if you decide not to go through with the purchase. Otherwise, you can opt to be charged the full amount and keep the phone for yourself.


Wondering where you’ll be able to take part? Samsung is running the trial at the following 5 Galaxy Studio retail locations:



  • Dallas-Fort Worth/Frisco, TX: Stonebriar Centre Mall, 2601 Preston Rd, Frisco, TX 75034

  • Houston/The Woodlands, TX: The Woodlands Mall, 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380

  • Los Angeles/Canoga Park, CA: Westfield Topanga, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303

  • New York City: Samsung Galaxy Studio SoHo, 130 Prince Street, NY, NY

  • Santa Clara, CA: Westfield Valley Fair, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050


That’s not a healthy helping of locations, but if you’re in any of those areas and wouldn’t mind carrying around one of the latest Galaxy devices for a few weeks you’ll know where to go.








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Amazon Deal: up to 70% off Sony SD cards, microSD cards and USB drives




Phandroid





Amazon Deal: up to 70% off Sony SD cards, microSD cards and USB drives



Sony-Building-Logo-600x450


In case you haven’t taken care of your memory needs during Amazon’s billion other Gold Box sales here’s another opportunity. Sony’s silicon is being offered up cheap today, with SD cards, microSD cards, and USB drives going for as much as 70% off. Here’s a full list of what’s on tap:


SD Cards



MicroSD Cards



USB Flash Drives



Whew, that’s a lot. There should be enough here for any of your needs, whether that’s a microSD card for your phone, a full-sized SD card for your tablet or Chromebook, or even double-sided USB drives for transferring data between multiple smartphones, computers and tablets. The deal won’t be lasting past the end of the day so get in on it before it’s too late!








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Google Maps and Google Keep get Android Wear support




Phandroid





Google Maps and Google Keep get Android Wear support



Moto-369-pic5


The latest trend in official Google apps is Android Wear support. Today two popular apps are adding support for Google’s wearable platform: Maps and Keep. Both of these apps can already interact with Wear devices, like all apps can out of the box, but these updates will add deeper integration.


The latest version of Google Maps adds Android Wear support and some bug fixes. It’s available right now in the Play Store for everyone. The Google Keep update is a bump from version 2.2 to 2.3, which only adds Android Wear support. It has been slowly rolling out to users with Google Play Services 5 (which can be downloaded from here).


The Keep update is the bigger of the two. Google demonstrated how an Android Wear device can interact with Keep on stage during their keynote. You can easily use your voice to create lists, notes, and other things in Keep right from your wrist. Keep has always been a handy app, but this addition makes it killer for Android Wear users. Check for both of these updates in the Play Store now.


Maps (Playboard) | Maps (Play Store)


Google Keep (Playboard) | Google Keep (Play Store)








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Thursday, June 26, 2014

ASUS to release thinnest and most affordable Android Wear smartwatch this September [RUMOR]




Phandroid





ASUS to release thinnest and most affordable Android Wear smartwatch this September [RUMOR]



Android Wear 1


The ever growing smartwatch market is about to get a little more crowded this year. We’ve already seen smartwatches introduced by LG, Motorola, and Samsung. Where just about every OEM is planning on releasing their take on the new Android Wear revolution, despite varying form factors, they’re all priced very close to one another (give or take a few bucks). That’s where ASUS steps in.


A new report from TechCrunch suggests the manufacturer is gearing up to release an Android Wear smartwatch of their own. Its killer feature? Its price tag, looking to launch at somewhere between $100 and $150. This could very well be the most affordable Android Wear powered smartwatch arriving this year. According to the report, this ASUS smartwatch will feature an AMOLED display with @evleaks providing additional information about the smartwatch’s form factor, mentioning the wearable (codenamed Robin) is looking to be the thinnest in its category.


It appears the ASUS Robin could be looking at a September release date, pitting it against the upcoming Motorola 360, as well as the soon to be released LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. HTC — where you at?








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Download: Google Search (3.5.14) with “OK Google” with system-wide hotword detection




Phandroid





Download: Google Search (3.5.14) with “OK Google” with system-wide hotword detection



Google Now Voice Search


In a new update to Google Search (3.5.14), users will now be able to activate the “OK Google” hotword detection from anywhere within the OS (even the lockscreen) or even while the screen is off, providing your phone is charging.


Not enabled by default, we gave you the spiel earlier today. You’ll first need to jump into your Google Search settings and select Voice > “OK Google Detection > the new option to enabled Hotword Detection from any app (even the lockscreen). If you don’t see it immediately, don’t fret. It appears this is a new feature rolling out on a per-account basis, done on the server side of things.


What’s more is the 3.5.14 update also introduces the new ability for the app to “learn” your voice for better recognition, a feature recently removed from Search but making a return as “Google Audio History.” For those with Motorola devices, unfortunately it looks like the new system-wide hotword detection wont work on the Motorola Moto X, Motorola Moto G, or Motorola Moto E. Lame, we know.


Google Play Games Services 5.0


Oh and one more thing: Google Play Services 5.0 is also rolling out (which some suspect the hotword detection may be dependent on) and adds a crazy amount of new features including Android Wear support, new Play Games features, app indexing API, closed caption support for Chromecast, new Wallet features like split tender, and more. You’ll find more info detailed on the Android Developers blog.


Should you not feel like waiting for either update to hit your device, we’ve provided a 3rd party download links below. Remember, if you don’t notice the new everywhere hotword detection, just wait for the new feature to hit your device in the coming days.


Download: Google Search 3.5.14 | Google Play Services 5.0.77


Thanks, Steven!


Google Search (Playboard) | Google Search (Play Store)








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Pop the champagne: the Nexus line is officially here to stay




Phandroid





Pop the champagne: the Nexus line is officially here to stay



Nexus Google Play devices


Rumors of Google killing off its Nexus line in favor of an upcoming Android Silver program have been escalating in recent months. Guess nobody told Dave Burke, the guy in charge of the Nexus program and the head of Android engineering at Google. In an interview with ReadWrite, Burke finally laid to rest those ridiculous rumors of the Nexus-line’s demise, and although he was mum on details of the Android Silver program, he made it perfectly clear Nexus wont be going anywhere.


“People have been commenting about Nexus because there is something else and they think that means the end of Nexus. That is the totally wrong conclusion to make. People just get excited by concepts and forget why we do things. We are still invested in Nexus.“


It would then appear that, while the Android Silver program could indeed be geared toward higher-end Android devices built by Google’s hardware partners and running near stock versions of Android (similar to Google Play), these devices will be offered in carrier store, with subsidized pricing. This may have something to do with the fact that nobody wants to pay $700 upfront for a Google Play edition of a phone they can get on-contract for $100. Suddenly, Samsung holding back the Galaxy S5 Google Play edition is starting to make a lot of sense.


Burke goes on to clarify Google’s reliance on actual hardware to build Android onto, and the reason we’ve seen Android development phones since the original HTC Dream. But it’s not just for Android developers, consumers too need a lower-cost, contract-free Android device, offering the purest version of Android, with updates directly from Google.


“When we are working, there are sort of two outputs. We’re building a Nexus device and we’re building the open source code. There is no way you can build the open source code without the phone or tablet or whatever you are building. You have to live and breathe the code you are developing.


You can’t build a platform in the abstract, you have to build a device (or devices). So, I don’t think can can or will ever go away. And then, I think Nexus is also interesting in that it is a way of us explaining how we think Android should run. It is a statement, almost a statement of purity in some respects. I don’t see why we would ever turn away from that, it wouldn’t make sense.”


So there you have it, folks. Straight form the horses mouth. And although Burke didn’t specifically say the Nexus smartphone line was here to stay (perhaps he was talking about tablets?), we think there’s a good chance of a Nexus 6 launching with Android L later this year. Now, let the rumors begin.








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