| Prescription Google Glass pictured in the wild gives us our best look at the eyewear yet Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 PM PST 
Up until now, we haven’t gotten a real good look at Google’s plans for prescription eyewearers looking to outfit themselves with Google Glass. Sure there was the scruffy looking fella from months ago, but it was still tough to make out exactly what was going on. Will Glass’s titanium frames be detachable? Will the main Glass unit simply stick to a existing frames? 
Well, Googler Brian Matiash is finally giving us a better view of prescription Google Glass, sharing a few images of the high-tech eyewear — likely still in its prototype stages — to his his Google+ page. From the looks of it, frames carrying a design much like non-prescription Glass will need to be made specifically for Glass, with one side attaching to the main unit. This means if you were hoping to bring your current favorite pair of eyeglasses with you, they likely wont have a proper Glass fitment. 
Now that you’ve had a better look at prescription Glass, what do you guys think? |
| Google Glass v2 invites now being sent to existing Explorers for one-time swap Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:50 PM PST 
After Google promised current Explorers the 1-time opportunity to swap out their first generation Glass for the new v2 model, we were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get the invite. Today seems to be that special day, with a few Glass Explorers on Phandroid’s team — myself included — now receiving swap instructions in our email inboxes. 
Current Explorers who purchased their Glass before October 28th are the only ones eligible for the swap, having until February 5th to begin the process. Before you ask, yes this is a swap, meaning we wont be giving away our old pairs here on the site (I know, we’d really like to). We should note that Google did mention that they’d be doing something “special” with the old pairs, but wouldn’t say at the moment. Google promises the new and improved Google Glass Explorer Editions are faster, more durable, and compatible with their upcoming accessories like stereo headphones and prescription lenses. I smell another review incoming… |
| Google Search for Android can now find search results inside (some) apps already installed on your device Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:04 PM PST  Announced earlier today, the Google Search app for Android is about to get a whole lot smarter. No, we’re not talking about the usual Google Now cards that come in every update, search results not pulled, not only from the web, but inside apps as well. This makes it easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for.
For instance, when searching for a movie, normally Search would pull up showtimes, or even its listing on IMDB.com. Not too useful when you already have the IMDB app already installed on your device, right? Now, when signed into your Google account, the Search app will know exactly what apps are installed on your device and show results found inside them with a simple “Open in app” link. Clicking the link will take you directly to the specific search query inside the app (like IMDB for instance), making Google Search a universal tool for searching the web for anything using your Android device. Currently, the new search results are only available in English, and for Android devices 2.3+. Also, at launch, only 13 apps support the new search feature: - AllTrails
- Allthecooks
- Beautylish
- Etsy
- Expedia
- Flixster
- Healthtap
- IMDb
- Moviefone
- Newegg
- OpenTable
- Trulia
- Wikipedia
Of course, relevant apps found on the Google Play Store will also be displayed when searching (ones that haven’t been installed on your device), a feature we saw introduced in Google Search back in 2010. The best part about these new (and old) Search features is that they can also be found in the Chrome and Android browsers by visiting the Google homepage — no Search app needed. As more developers make their apps compatible with this new feature, they better it will get. In the meantime, you can update the Google Search app via the link below. Download on Google Play: Google Search
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| Code found in Plex software hints that Chromecast support is just around the corner Posted: 04 Dec 2013 02:04 PM PST 
When the Chromecast first hit the scene back in July, Google’s streaming media dongle garnered a lot of attention from developers looking to develop for the new platform. It was the team at Plex — makers of the popular media player app that streams locally stored content to a variety of internet connected devices — that caused some of the biggest ruckus. Barely a few days after the Chromecast was made official, Plex tweeted how they were “actively investigating and optimistic” about future Chromecast support. This would help fix a glaring omission in the Chromecast, it’s complete lack of streaming locally stored media. Towards the tail end of August, our own Derek Ross posted on his Google+ that Plex (and aVia) were already in talks with Google to support Chromecast and that a release was likely due sometime in the fall. Needless to say, Plex coming to the Chromecast hasn’t been the biggest secret. Now that we are on winter’s doorstep without hide nor hair of Plex on our streaming dongles, you might be wondering if any progress has been made. Well, fear not, it looks like Chromecast support is still very much in the cards. 
It was in the most recent version of Plex’s software that the fine folks at GigaOM discovered it already includes a Chromecast configuration file, right alongside Android, Firefox, Chrome, and others. Evidence doesn’t get much harder than that. With the Chromecast receiving a minor update this week, and Google holding a hack-a-thon this weekend for developers to preview their Google Cast API — brace yourselves, it seems Plex could be only the beginning. My Chromecast is ready. [via ChromeSpot] |
| Republic Wireless Moto X expected to receive Android 4.4 KitKat early next year Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:37 AM PST 
Waiting for your chance to grab a discounted Moto X on Monday? Keep in mind you still have other options for grabbing an off-contract Moto X on the cheap, one that doesn’t even require you to watch your clock, index finger at the ready. Offering the lowest possible monthly service rates — all contract-free — Republic Wireless recently launched the Moto X for their hybrid network at the low price of $299. That’s a full $50 cheaper than even Motorola’s Cyber Monday Wednesday Monday pt2 deal. 
But, as to be expected, Republic Wireless’ Moto X comes with a few caveats. Aside from suffering through Sprint’s network when away from an active WiFi connection (we kid, it’s not that bad where LTE is available), RW’s Moto X is still only on Android 4.2.2, while just about every other carrier (even US Cellular) has begun rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat to the handset. A quick look through the Republic Wireless’ Moto X FAQ revealed the carrier’s intentions of keeping their Moto X up to date with the latest firmwares provided by Motorola. Whether you’re already a Republic Wireless customer, or considering making the switch in the future you might be wondering — where is KitKat for the Republic Wireless Moto X? 
Well, according to Republic Wireless’ Twitter page, they’re expecting to release Android 4.4 for the Moto X in “early 2014″. Remember, Republic Wireless’ Moto X actually runs a custom ROM to help the device seamlessly transition between WiFi and cellular calling, meaning some fine tuning (and testing) is involved. It’s not a solid date, but one that should help ease concerns for those looking to purchase a Moto X off-contract, with the lowest possible cell phone bill. Thanks, Nathan! |
| US Cellular’s Moto X gets Android 4.4 KitKat today Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:17 AM PST 
With nearly every other version of the Moto X starting to get Android 4.4 KitKat, some US Cellular folks have been wondering when they’d be let in on the fun. Thankfully it won’t take quite as long to get it as some might have thought (due to the carrier being just outside the big four here in America). Motorola’s Punit Soni has announced that the US Cellular Moto X will be getting KitKat as early as today. The rollout is taking place in phases, so it’s possible not everyone will be able to get in on the action right away. Users will be treated to many great changes — some of which are brought along with KitKat, and some of which Motorola decided to put in on their own. Here’s the full list: - Android™ 4.4, KitKat®: Android 4.4, KitKat, is the latest release of the Android platform. KitKat includes enhancements such as restyled status and navigation bars, a new full-screen mode, color emoji support, improved closed captioning support, stronger security, smarter power use, and more tools and capabilities for better app development.
- Phone dialer: Improved the phone app with the ability to look up contacts directly from the dial pad, see and tap frequent contacts, and search your corporate directory easily.
- Camera – Focus and exposure: Enhanced the “touch to focus” option with a new circular, on screen control that can be dragged by your finger around the viewfinder to adjust a photo’s focus and exposure.
- Gallery – Photo editing: Added new photo editing options to the Gallery app including new filter effects, draw on your photos, advanced cropping, and adjustments to color, exposure, contrast and more.
- Hangouts -SMS/MMS support: Incorporated a new version of Google Hangouts that supports integrated SMS/MMS messaging. Hangouts can be set as the default SMS app under Settings > Wireless > Default SMS app.
- Touchless Control – “Find my phone”: Added a new “Find my phone” command to Touchless Control. Just say “OK, Google Now-find my phone” and your Moto X will ring loudly to let you know where it’s hiding when you’ve misplaced it nearby.
- NFC – Host card emulation: Enhanced support for NFC Host Card Emulation (HCE), to improve experiences such as contactless payments, loyalty plans, transit passes, card access and more.
- Accessory support: Added support for Square credit card reader
To check for an upgrade, head to Settings > About Phone, and then hit the System Updates menu to see if your device is ready to pull it down. You should be looking for version 143.44.2.ghost_usc.USC.en.US. You’ll want to be on WiFi with a decently charged battery, so be sure to hold off until you can meet those conditions. Now we’re just waiting for the likes of Sprint and Republic Wireless to be invited to the party, something we suspect won’t take too much longer to happen. |
| Andy Rubin left Android to make… androids Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:14 AM PST 
No, you didn’t read that title wrong. Andy Rubin left the Android team to make androids, but it’s not the type of Android we talk about here every day. Instead, the Godfather of Android has taken up a new ambitious project within the Google X labs researching actual robotics. The New York Times has the full account of Rubin’s whereabouts, where they detailed a half-year span of acquisitions for this very project. The plan is to advance robotics to a stage where industrial handy work won’t have to be carried out by mere mortals. There are bound to be more than a few people opposing such a future, what with jobs already scarce due to today’s technology. Some of the companies Google snapped up for the project had a hand in creating humanoid robots in the past, the type that might resemble the scary specimens Will Smith battled in I, Robot. But just how close are we to a future where those types of robots might be able to help folks out in the workplace? We could be as long as a decade a way, as Rubin apparently suggested this project could take that many years of research before anything actually comes to fruition. This is a project Andy Rubin has been wanting to undertake for years, but it wasn’t until recently that Google gave him a real shot to pursue his dreams. Rubin’s career actually kicked off with a robotics engineering position for optical firm Carl Zeiss. Since then, he has had a hand in many of today’s popular technology, including Danger (the folks behind the SideKick) and the Android platform we all know and love. Almost everything he has touched has turned to gold, and we’re hoping the same rings true with this new-old love. Even though he admitted this was a “moonshot,” Rubin hopes he and his team can achieve great things in the years to come, even if his exact vision doesn’t sprout into a practical solution. One thing’s for sure: we’ll have our pom-poms going, cheering him on in full force. [via New York Times] |
| LG G Flex starts going on sale worldwide; coming to Europe in January Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:58 AM PST LG has announced that the LG G Flex is now rolling out on a global scale. The early days won’t see a widespread rollout, with only a few Asian countries getting in on the fun. This includes folks in Singapore on December 8th, and Hong Kong on December 13th. LG didn’t have specific dates for other regions, but they did mention we should be seeing the device launch in Europe before the end of January. 
The LG G Flex is the company’s first flexible smartphone that has been proven to be quite durable. Not only can it bend, twist and turn without breaking, but its back cover can take quite the beating and heal itself within seconds or minutes. You needn’t look any further than the video at this link to see just how strong this smartphone is supposed to be. The phone isn’t bad under the hood either, with the following specs making up its core: - 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8974)
- GPU: Adreno 330, 450MHz
- 6-inch screen
- HD resolution (1280 x 720), Curved P-OLED (Real RGB)
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB Storage
- 13.0MP rear camera
- 2.1MP front camera
- 3,500mAh battery
- Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
- Bluetooth 4.0
- USB 3.0
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- NFC
We’ll be looking forward to its arrival to the rest of the world in the first quarter of 2014, but for now just know that some lucky customers, somewhere, will soon be getting their hands on one of the most interesting phones LG’s ever made. [via LG] |
| Get 50GB of free Amazon Cloud Drive storage for one year with the purchase of select Android phones Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:40 AM PST 
Amazon is putting on a great promotion for folks who don’t mind moving their digital life to the cloud. You can have your pick of over 100 different Android phones, and be rewarded with 50GB of Cloud Drive space when buying the phone through their wireless store. You can use Amazon Cloud Storage to hold anything in the cloud, including photos, videos up to 20 minutes, documents and more. There are a few details you’ll need to know before taking them up on this offer, though. It’s simple: - You only get to keep the storage for one year.
- You’ll have until 11:59pm Pacific on December 31st to take advantage.
- The storage will be added to your account within 10 days of you qualifying for the promotion.
- The 50GB of free storage stacks on top of the 5GB of storage Amazon already gives you.
Full details can be found in the terms and conditions document found here. Be sure to read it to make sure you know all the pertinent details. As for the phones you can buy, Amazon has the full list of them here. Check it out for yourself and enjoy your massive amounts of free cloud storage (even if those clouds will dissipate after a year). |
| Any.DO brings Cal, a beautiful calendar app for Android, to Google Play Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:26 AM PST Anyone who’s used an Android device knows the calendar experience isn’t always the most pleasant thing to write home about, but one company is looking to change that with a comprehensive app that will make you enjoy keeping up with your day-to-day tasks. It’s Any.DO’s Cal (already available for iOS), and they’re promising big things with the launch of their second app for Android. The app features beautiful design that follows Android’s card-based UI guidelines quite nicely, but it’s the functionality that Any.DO is hoping will keep your attention. Here’s what they’re setting out to do with Cal: - Social and location integration predicts who you want to meet and even suggest nearby places for meeting them
- Any.do tasks are perfectly woven into your calendar so you can see what needs to get done for each event
- Cal knows when you'll need to get on the road and let's you seamlessly get an Uber, or use Google Maps to navigate your way there
- Swipe, tilt, and flow your way through a productive day while still finding time between commitments to refocus on what matters
- Rich graphics in 9 specially curated photo themes add harmony to working life and personal time
It’s not just a meaningless subset of features that adds empty social features. Cal embraces the third-party services and apps already available to make your calendar experience more useful to you in ways that matter to you. The Android app isn’t some carbon copy port from iOS, either — Any.DO actually took care to add some features that Android users will no doubt appreciate. A fully-featured widget, landscape mode, Google Calendar and Exchange sync, even tighter Any.DO integration and more are all coming together to make this experience even more tasty than what our iOS-using friends have been treated to all this time. The best part of all this? It’s free, and it’s sitting in the Google Play Store right now. Go ahead and download it and see if you can’t discover a better way to keep track of everything that’s going on in your life. Watch the video above if you want the visual rundown. [via Any.DO] |
| Motorola posts further details on the Moto X $150 off sale reattempt going down today at 12pm Eastern Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:46 AM PST It was a sad day Monday, when many hopeful Moto X purchasers woke up bright and early to see if they could get the KitKat-donning smartphone for as little as just $350 off-contract. The deals went live mid-morning, but it wasn’t long before the train completely fell off the tracks. 
Motorola’s site came to a complete crawl almost instantly, and tons of customers were unable to get through the checkout process to secure their order. It was so bad that Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside had to come out and apologize, and Motorola had to offer up a couple more opportunities to get on the deal. That first opportunity goes down later today at 12PM Eastern, where you’ll not only be able to get $150 off any Moto X (including Moto Maker versions), but you are also being given an extra 30% off accessories bought with the code when using the promo code THANKS. So what do you need to do once that time comes later today? Motorola lays it all out for us: - Go to motorola.com/holiday2daysale and register for the promotion starting at noon EST on the two sale days. You will know right away if quantities are still available.
- Once registered, you will be emailed a promo code within a few hours. This code is active for one week.
- Go to Moto Maker and design your phone within the one week window (take your time and have fun!).
- At checkout, enter your one-time promo code to receive $150 off the no-contract price in the shopping cart. (Your code only works once and for one phone.)
- Submit your order to get rocking with your custom Moto X in time for the holidays. Moto Maker will provide an estimated delivery date while you design your product and again at checkout. You will also receive an email when we start assembling your device as well as when it ships.
This sounds much better than the mad dash to checkout that happened this past Monday, and should give folks plenty of time to customize their Moto X and make sure it’s just right for them. This sale will also happen Monday, December 9th, so don’t be too disappointed if you can’t get in on the fun right away. And Motorola says they’ll be offering even more stock than they originally planned for both days, so folks should have no problem getting a Moto X if they really want one.
It’s not guaranteed that the servers will be able to hold up again later today, but at least you know you won’t have to go through a lengthy checkout process if you’re able to get in. The promo code method allows them to get you on and off the server quickly, which should give you F5 fiends a real shot at this thing. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that things go over as smoothly as the Nexus 5 launch surprisingly went this past Halloween. Be sure to read the FAQ if you are looking for more detailed information about how the sale will work. Anyone still looking to take advantage of this deal? [via Motorola] |
