Android Phone Fans |
- Twitter update brings images and Vine videos directly to your timeline
- Facebook Messenger gets a complete Holo UI makeover, only available to limited number of users [DOWNLOAD]
- Google shows off newly revised Google Glass 2.0, complete with optional earbud
- Verizon Galaxy S4 getting OTA update, Android 4.3 and Galaxy Gear support on board
- Nexus 5 coming to Sprint, says @evleaks
- Moto G makes brief appearance on Motorola’s site, quickly removed
- Snapseed update with HDR Scape now available on Google Play [DOWNLOAD]
- Sprint expands 4G LTE network to 45 new markets – did your city make the list?
- Download: New Google+ app with enhanced Auto Awesome features
- Everything you need to know about today’s Google+ updates, boiled down to the basics
- Google+ Auto Awesome gets a handful of new features: Action, Eraser, Movie editing and more
- Google Hangouts update to bring SMS, animated GIFs and location sharing; Auto Awesome for video detailed
- Reminder: Google+ event is within the half hour; could we be getting “Auto Awesome” for videos?
- KitKat posts “magical” Android animation video on YouTube; “one to enjoy whilst you’re waiting”
- Google in-app billing exploit allowed all-you-can-eat consumable content for free
| Twitter update brings images and Vine videos directly to your timeline Posted: 29 Oct 2013 06:33 PM PDT A newly redesigned Twitter 5.0 app hit Android beta channels not too long ago. Aside from a fresh, new Holo-esque design, the update also (finally) introduced inline images. This allowed users to quickly preview native Twitter images without having to first jump into a tweet — something 3rd party clients have been doing since forever now.
Today, Twitter is finally ready to bring some of that functionality to regular ‘ol Twitterers, thanks to the latest official update now available for both Android and iOS. Just as we saw before, images will now be displayed directly inside users’ feeds, with Vine videos also joining the party. To show off the new update, Twitter was even nice enough to put together a quick Vine (at least someone’s still using the service). |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2013 04:48 PM PDT The Facebook team has really been giving Android the ‘ol college try as of late. Recently, they infused Facebook Home with new social services, and today the Android team is back, giving Facbook Messenger a little TLC. In an update currently rolling out to a “limited number” of testers, the Facebook Messenger app has been given a complete visual overhaul. Instead of the tired old Facebook UI, the app now features a sleek new Holo UI that follows Android’s design guidelines to a tee. Really, it’s like night and day from the previous version. Like other Android apps, swiping left and right takes you between conversation lists, contacts, and settings. Besides looking fresh, Facebook touts the lighter weight update as “faster and more reliable”. For now, we’ll just take their word for it as the old/current version of Messenger is incredibly laggy on our HTC One (in contrast to the iPhone version that’s smooth as butter). To help avoid confusion, Facebook Messenger will now display their new Messenger icon (pictured left) next to a user’s name who also happens to be using the Messenger app. This way you’ll know ahead of time if they’re available to receive your message instantly. Because searching for new people on Facebook is such a chore, Messenger will also allow users to message another Facebook user simply by punching in their phone number. Of course, you’ll need to verify your own mobile number before you can use this particular feature, playboy. We’re definitely excited about the new changes and find the timing interesting, given the announcement of the new Hangouts update — now with SMS integration — hitting Android users later this week. If you want to give the new Facebook Messenger a go, a link has been provided below. Just make sure to uninstall the previous update before installing. (Thanks, WinDroidGuy and Justan!)
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| Google shows off newly revised Google Glass 2.0, complete with optional earbud Posted: 29 Oct 2013 03:18 PM PDT When Google announced that they’d soon be giving Glass Explorers a free, 1-time upgrade to the Glass 2.0 hardware revision, we were ecstatic. The optional earbud attachment sounded like a godsend when using Glass in noisy environments (something that’s almost impossible now). If you were expecting major revisions to the Glass aesthetic, sorry to disappoint. It looks like not very much is changing other than a port for the earbud making its way to the bottom of the headset. Google mentioned previously that this new version of Glass would support both shades and prescription lenses, but after examining these pictures, it’s hard to pin point those changes in hardware. Still, the Glass team was able to confirm that yes, this version of Glass will support prescription frames and sunglasses, forwarding Google+ users to their early prototype shown here. It’s possible you’ll be able to detach the main head unit, but we’re having trouble wrapping our heads around exactly how that will work. If Glass wasn’t already “nerdy” enough, what do you guys make of the new earbud attachment? |
| Verizon Galaxy S4 getting OTA update, Android 4.3 and Galaxy Gear support on board Posted: 29 Oct 2013 03:06 PM PDT Samsung is ready to bring the Android 4.3 update to its older devices – the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3. The news came yesterday, when Samsung announced that its Premium Suite would bring forth Android 4.3, Galaxy Gear compatibility and more to the Galaxy smartphones. The update was promised to be rolling out within a few weeks, but the first devices would get it as soon as October 28th. We know US carriers are very picky about updates, though, especially Verizon. But guess who is getting the update already? Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 owners! We have received some reports of Verizon Galaxy S4 devices getting this update. If you have one, you will soon be able to enjoy the Galaxy Gear along with your Galaxy Note 3 friends! We honestly never thought Verizon would be so quick about this. They are the most cautious and picky with updates, so we will have to tip our hat for them on this one. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a new trend for Big Red. Verizon Galaxy S4 update details
And of course, there is also Galaxy Gear support (as mentioned above). Some of our tipster are saying they are already getting the update, so make sure to keep an eye open for it. Are you guys getting the Galaxy Gear? Even if you are not, this is a pretty sweet update! [Verizon] |
| Nexus 5 coming to Sprint, says @evleaks Posted: 29 Oct 2013 02:37 PM PDT Twitter account @evleaks has leaked yet another shot of the Nexus 5. This time, it’s a side angle shot of the device that gives us a look at a perspective we don’t often see. What’s more interesting about this leak, though, is that the device is apparently said to be coming to Sprint. It’s not the most shocking development in the world, as the Now Network hasn’t been opposed to carrying a couple of Nexus devices in the past. Last year was the first time they didn’t have a Nexus phone since the Nexus One launched, though we’re not sure how much of that has to do with Google’s distaste with CDMA after the Verizon / Galaxy Nexus debacle. Regardless, it’ll be nice to see the Nexus 4 up and running on another CDMA carrier, and we hope Big Red joins the ranks by the end of it all. Now, how about that announcement, Google? |
| Moto G makes brief appearance on Motorola’s site, quickly removed Posted: 29 Oct 2013 02:36 PM PDT Hopping onto Motorola’s official site, one keen-eyed Reddit user discovered a new addition to the site’s menu options. Joining the Moto X at the top of the page was the “Moto G”. If that name sounds familiar to you, it should. We discovered the Moto G in a trademark filing a little over a week ago, and expected some kind of announcement would soon follow. The Moto G tab on Motorola’s site linked to “moto-g.com“, but visiting now shows nothing but a dead link. While Motorola is still mum on details, we have a good feeling the Moto G could be the rumored “budget” friendly Moto X variant, otherwise known as the Motorola Moto DVX. The DVX was recently rebranded the Moto G in Brazil, so we’d expect the same would go for other markets. Motorola has been on a roll lately, and while the Moto X wasn’t the low-cost smartphone many had hoped, it looks like they might still throw Android users a bone who are light on funds, but still want a touchless Google Now experience.
[Motorola | via: Droid-Life] |
| Snapseed update with HDR Scape now available on Google Play [DOWNLOAD] Posted: 29 Oct 2013 02:02 PM PDT Announced only a few hours ago, an all new version of Snapseed — complete with HDR Scape filter — is now available on the Google Play Store. We talked about it in our previous post, but Snapseed version 1.6 brings powerful photo editing tools made easy peasy for the end-user. The latest of which is HDR Scape, an improved filter for adding near-professional HDR to photos. Normally, a smartphone camera does this by capturing 3 shots of varying exposures, then super imposing them on top of each other for improved dynamic range. HDR Scape makes this easier by producing an HDR experience unrivaled on mobile from a single image. No mess, no fuss. As always, the app is completely free to download. Give it a shot if you haven’t already.
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| Sprint expands 4G LTE network to 45 new markets – did your city make the list? Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:58 PM PDT Sprint users may not be happy with the lackluster network, but everything is getting better as the carrier continues to expand its 4G LTE coverage. We know their 3G speeds are very far from being pleasant and many of you may be very happy to hear today’s announcement. Sprint has flipped the switch on 45 new markets, bringing their much better 4G LTE speeds to a huge amount of their customer base. Adding 45 markets is no small feat for Sprint and we are sure many of our readers have been expecting this. Affected cities include Santa Ana, CA and Pensacola Florida. Here is the full list:
Including these 45 new markets, Sprint now holds its 4G LTE network over 230 markets in the USA. Not bad if you ask me. You can check out the full list of 4G LTE-covered cities at Sprint’s site. And check out your phone if your city is on this list! You may be in for a very neat surprise. No more slow Sprint 3G speeds for you, guys! With a larger percentage of their network being covered by 4G LTE, Sprint may be a better option now (as long as you don’t travel much). It is a very affordable carrier and it continues to offer truly unlimited data. Is your city on the list? Are you liking your new 4G LTE speeds? As for San Diego (my hometown), it continues to lack Sprint’s 4G LTE network. And who knows if it will ever come, WiMAX never did. [Sprint] |
| Download: New Google+ app with enhanced Auto Awesome features Posted: 29 Oct 2013 12:31 PM PDT Here it is, folks. Fresh out the frying pan! The all new Google+ app for Android, complete with enhanced Auto Awesome features. Well, most of them anyway. It looks like this is an early build, so don’t freak out if you find an occasional bug. Unfortunately, Auto Awesome Movie isn’t available to everyone, Google mentioned earlier today that it was only for “select” devices running Android 4.3+. You’ll notice small changes like Google+ Photos now being relabeled “Photos” (something we saw in Android 4.4 leaks), as well as a new Locations widget, sharing menu, comment reply option, and even translate for foreign posts. For those that don’t mind living on the bleeding edge, get it while it’s hot!
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| Everything you need to know about today’s Google+ updates, boiled down to the basics Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:35 AM PDT Missed the big Google+ event and announcements? No problem… we’ll get you caught up to speed with minimal effort. #1 Hangouts for mobile adds location sharing.#2 App now shows animated GIFs, too.#3 The Hangouts App FINALLY has SMS Support!All your messaging in one place. #4 Plan, Promote & Manage Hangout broadcastsNew, dedicated hangout page for those scheduled in the future, allowing you to also promote them to your users. Once in the hangout you can manage by adjusting mic volume for individual users, removing users from a hangout, etc… #5 Full screen video calls across devices (in HD)#6 Fix & Enhance webcam lighting automaticallyand manually add effects like Black & White Mode, Spotlight Feature, and Focus Effect. #7 Full-size backups & background sync for iOS“Some memories don’t deserve to be downsized.” #8 Deep learning and highlights in search.Google’s auto-tagging technology allows you to search your images for information you never added to the description yourself. Today they added 1,000 more keywords such as Vespa, Apple Pie, Kiss, Snowboarding, Waterfall, Dog, Beach, Sunset, Snow, Sunglasses. You can also search pictures of friends, family, and circles. #9 Auto-Enhance further enhancedGoogle+ Auto-enhance automatically adjusts your images to improve quality: now you can turn the feature up, down, or off, and do so on an image by image and album by album basis. #10 New HDR Scape filter in Snapseed (download the app)
This will take a regular picture, an underexposed picture, and an overexposed picture, and then combine them to create a stunning photograph. Especially exceptional for landscapes and scenery. Unlike current mobile phones that try to imitate HDR, Google+ uses pixel edge contrast and is much more advanced. #11 Analog EFEX Pro in the NIK Collection
Lets you explore the classic camera look and feel. #12 Auto Awesome Action
Will show a trail and ghost backgrounds of the action, great for sports shots. #13 Auto Awesome EraserLets you remove distractions and people in the way when you take multiple pictures. #14 Auto Awesome MovieWill blow your mind. It takes your videos and pictures and automatically turns them into full blown movies with a soundtrack, cutting the music to match the action, while enhancing all the photos/video. When Auto Awesome Movie has something ready, you’ll get an Android notification and can go back and make manual adjustments, changing the music, removing clips/pictures, trimming duration, and more. And there you have it… a boat load of awesome upgrades to Google+ that make me wonder why everyone is still using Facebook and Twitter. Now back to your regularly scheduled Nexus 5 addiction fulfillment. |
| Google+ Auto Awesome gets a handful of new features: Action, Eraser, Movie editing and more Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:34 AM PDT Vic Gundotra just signed off from Google’s live streaming Google+ event, where the VP announced new features and services soon making their way into Google’s budding social network. You already know about SMS (finally) making it’s way into Hangouts, and when it comes to Google+ Photos, Google is going balls to the wall with their photo and video enhancing abilities. Wait- video? More on that later. Snapseed – HDR ScapeGoogle continues to invest in Snapseed, a photo editing tool not just available as an app for Android, but also in Google+. To show that haven’t forgotten about their powerful photo editing tool, they’re adding a new filter for users called HDR Scape. HDR isn’t really anything new, in fact, you’ve probably noticed your smartphone camera with this handy feature. Normally, you smartphone camera has to take 2 or 3 shots — in varying exposures — then super impose them on top of each other for improved dynamic range. With HDR Scape, Google can take a single image, and using their advanced pixel edge contrast, tune to the image to produce an HDR experience unrivaled on mobile. Auto AwesomeEnhanceGoogle+s Auto Awesome photo editing feature — the one that automatically “gifts” enhanced photos to users — has also been improved. Previously you’d upload a photo to Google+, and hope that Auto Awesome did the trick. Occasionally, you may have notice that Auto Awesome was a bit overzealous in its tweaks. Well, now Auto Awesome introduces 2 ways to adjust auto enhance: low or high settings. Now you can tell Auto Awesome to take it easy on the enhancing of your photos, or simply turn it off altogether. Pretty handy. ActionWe’ve already seen the way Google+ can recognize a series of similar images, and transform them into a fun little GIF (while leaving the original images untouched). Today Google announced a new way to spice up a series of images with a feature they call “Action”. What Action does is recognizes a moving subject (a basket ball player, skateboarder or gymnist) and super imposes them onto the same background creating a single image of the action. We’ve seen this feature on devices from HTC and Samsung, and now, Google+ apparently. Google+ takes it one step further by altering the alpha channels to create a ghost effect if the subject overlaps themselves in the image. EraserIt’s a situation we’ve all encountered before. You’re attempting to photograph a loved one and the landscape in the background, but oblivious people keep walking into your shot. With Google+’s Auto Awesome Eraser, you can take a series of shots and Google wont just edit out a single subject who wandered into your shot, but almost every subject in the picture period. Google’s demo was more than impressive, and we’d love to see this in action. Would be great if you could manually select a subject to erase (for scorned ex lovers), perhaps in a future update. Where all these new Auto Awesome features sound great in themselves, Google really blew minds when they showed you can actually use all the new tools simultaneously – Animated GIF, Action, and Eraser — for your photos. Pretty damn impressive. MovieBecause Google noticed a 20x increase in video uploads since Google+ was introduced, they decided to do something about it. Video editing has traditionally been one of the more difficult tasks to accomplish on mobile devices. Where perhaps you and I know how to edit videos using advanced editing software, it’s just not something your soccer moms or Joe Schoes are going to know how to do with their smartphones. And we can’t fault them. Things can get pretty complicated. But Google is looking to make things a little easier using the power of the cloud. Google+’s Auto Awesome will now be able to take all your photos and videos uploaded to an album, and transform them into a hip, fun, and shareable video. All the end user has to do is wait for a notification that their video is ready, and they’re off sharing those birthdays or family vacations with friends and family with zero effort. You can even add a soundtrack using Google’s license background tracks. For those that want a little more control of their outputted video, Google also makes manual editing possible and intuitive on mobile. You can adjust the overall duration of your Auto Awesome Movies, add music, adjust individual clips or simply swipe them away to delete. Videos, pictures, music = Auto Awesome Movie. Analog Efex Pro (NIK Collection)Google also announced a new feature called Analog Efex Pro coming soon to the NIK Collection, Google’s $150 professional grade photo editing plug-in for Aperture. Analog Efex Pro lets users apply filters of classic cameras to their photos, for a very vintage look. Neat stuff, but something I imagine not too many of you are currently using. AvailabilityAll of Google+’s photo and video improvements are said to be available this week. Because Auto Awesome Movie also features manual editing, it will only be available on specific devices Android 4.3 on up. I know, kind of a bummer but all the other features mentioned will be widely supported by more devices. Who’s excited? |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2013 10:30 AM PDT Google’s Vic Gundotra is carrying on with the live Google+ event right now, and the esteemed exec has just announced the great new upgrade to Hangouts we’ve all been waiting for. I’m talking about SMS support, of course. While we haven’t been given many details about the implementation at this moment, we should find out more soon enough. We imagine it’ll work much like iMessages does for iOS, where your Hangouts and SMS conversations are all grouped into the same seamless experience. Alongside that bit of feel-good news, Google has also finally announced support for .GIF moving images, as well as the ability to share your location with your friends and family with one easy tap of the “Places” button (powered by Google Maps, of course). Google also had exciting news to share about video on the platform. For starters, video Hangouts can now take place in full-screen mode, with full HD quality being available across ALL devices. We were told this was coming before, so it’s nice to know that it’s finally about to go live for everyone. Google has also introduced Auto Awesome for videos. What’ll it allow you to do? Here’s a quick list to whet your whistle with:
None of these changes will rock your socks off or make your video completely whacky, but it’s a nice touch for those who aren’t in the most optimal lighting situations or who just want to present themselves on video a bit better. Google says the upgrade to Hangouts will be rolling out in the Google Play Store starting in the next few days and the weeks after, though they obviously weren’t interested in giving an exact time frame for all these goods. You can bet we’ll keep you updated as soon as it’s out, though, so be sure to stay tuned to Phandroid if you’ve been waiting on this. |
| Reminder: Google+ event is within the half hour; could we be getting “Auto Awesome” for videos? Posted: 29 Oct 2013 09:14 AM PDT As much as we want to believe that Google’s scheduled live event on Google+ is for the Nexus 5 or Android 4.4, it’s probably best to put those expectations to rest. We’re expecting pure Google+ and / or Hangouts news here, folks. That announcement is scheduled to take place at the half-hour mark of this hour. Be sure to head here for details on how and where to follow along. So if it’s not the treats we’ve been craving for the past month or so, then what is it? According to Engadget, it could be a new “Auto Awesome” feature for videos. We imagine it wouldn’t be too much unlike the feature for photos — Google will work their magic to make a video “better” than it already is. Whether or not the changes that could be made to a video will be for the better are up in the air (any serious photographer will tell you that definitely isn’t always the case for photos). At the least, we can probably expect Google to offer up the same anti-shake feature that they currently do on YouTube. If YouTube detects a video might be a bit jerky, they’ll attempt to fix it. The end result isn’t always pretty, but if you’re desperate for a steady video then it’s something to try. We imagine other simple tweaks like color correction, soundtracks and more could also be in-store. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the event kicks off to see if any of this will be in tow, but with such a short wait we’re sure that won’t be a problem for many of you. [Update]: In case you haven’t noticed, some folks are having an issue loading the event page. According to Google’s Vic Gundotra, they’re having some rather major technical difficulties — power in half their building just went out. How convenient! Don’t fret, though, as you can still access the event stream on the YouTube embed below. Site tight, though, as the event has been delayed a few minutes thanks to this unfortunate incident. |
| KitKat posts “magical” Android animation video on YouTube; “one to enjoy whilst you’re waiting” Posted: 29 Oct 2013 08:40 AM PDT You thought the Android KitKat hype-beasting was nearly over? Guess again. We’re typically treated to a simple cryptic image or two from KitKat in the mornings, but today they’ve done something a bit differently — they’ve cooked up an entire video for our eager eyes to feast on. They call it the #magicbreak, with the video depicting two BugDroid robots enjoying each other’s company. One of them looks ready to show off a rabbit-in-the-hat trick using a KitKat bar as a wand, but lo-and-behold, he eats the KitKat bar and does a little shimmy for good measure. This entire video probably means nothing, and could just be a fun way for KitKat to start their tease-heavy day. Except… perhaps there’s more to this than we realize. On the Google+ post KitKat used to publicize the video, they posted the line “one to enjoy whilst you’re waiting.” Waiting for what, KitKat? Waiting for that Google+ event taking place today? Are you trying to tell us that there will be more than just Google+ news revealed during that little shindig? We have our doubts about that theory, but it’s something to keep in mind. KitKat could just be making a general reference to our wait for Android 4.4 KitKat, which — as has been proven as of yesterday — we have no clue when to expect. Now that the long-rumored October 28th big bang theory has dissolved into nothingness, most folks are holding on to hope for an October 31st or November 1st unveiling. The former is little more than a theory based on the fact that “KitKat” and “Halloween” almost go hand-in-hand, and it would make perfect marketing sense. The latter date was put into the atmosphere by @evleaks, who mentioned “November 1st” to the world in one of their Nexus 5 leaks. At this point, it’s best to just sit, wait, and not let your desire to sleuth your way to an answer get the best of you. We’re likely just a few days out either way, and it’s best to just be patient and wait instead of putting your hopes so high that they won’t be able to come down when nothing comes to fruition. Take a look at the silly video above. [via Google+] |
| Google in-app billing exploit allowed all-you-can-eat consumable content for free Posted: 29 Oct 2013 07:58 AM PDT An interesting exploit has recently been revealed by a developer who was tinkering around inside Google’s in-app billing libraries. Developer Dominik Schürmann discovered a method that would let people hijack the in-app billing method in such a way that would give them access to an app’s consumables without having to pay a dime. By consumables, I’m referring to items like coins in Temple Run or power-ups in Candy Crush — stuff that you can buy over and over again. As you can see in the image above, Dominik was successfully able to purchase an extreme amount of gems and coins in Temple Run 2, items that would normally cost hundreds of dollars to get in this amount. According to Dominik, the exploit affects “all Google Play Billing Library v3 versions before Oct, 8 distributed via Android SDK and marketbilling on Googlecode.” That means Google was able to patch this thing up before word got out, but not without a tad bit of controversy. According to him, Google chose not to credit him for the discovery, and sent emails to developers with information about the exploit (along with instructions to use recently updated sample code that addresses the exploit):
Disputes about proper attribution aside, I think everyone is still thankful that this has been patched up, and that no one will be able to leech free consumables from developers (as long as said developers make quick work of updating their code to the latest available sample). Those folks have to make money too, you know. If you’re interested in the nitty gritty details (including ready-to-compile code and instructions on how to test this exploit) you can find them at Dominik’s blog. We just beg that you don’t use whatever you happen to find for evil. [via Google+] |
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