Chance Miller

Google has rolled out a massive update to its Text-to-Speech Android app that includes a variety of enhancements. The update, which began rolling out to devices yesterday evening, bumps the app to version 3.0. Most notably, this update improves the voice functionality and quality. While the voice was originally rather robotic and boring, this update makes it more fluent and realistic, much like Apple did with Siri in iOS 7. The updated voice is available in several languages and both male and female varieties, but each language and style runs about 200MB, so be sure you’re on WiFi when you download them. The voices are also now available in Portugese (Brazil), and Spanish (United States).

There are some issues with the new voices, however. Android Police notes that commands that contact the Google server for a reply, such as “what is 3+2”, still use the old robotic voice. Local questions, such as  “what is my next appointment”, do use the new voices, however.

The user interface has also been tweaked heavily. The voice management screen has been redesigned to show the size of each download, as well as detailed information about the voice.

The update is rolling out gradually on Google Play, so be sure to keep an eye on the Play Store for it to hit your device.

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The new line-up of Galaxy Tab Pro and Galaxy Note Pro tablets went up for sale in the United States last month, but only in WiFi variants. Today, however, the monstrous 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro has been made available from Verizon Wireless here in the states. The device went up on the carrier’s website this afternoon without any prior warning or even press release, but we’ll take what we can get.

As far as price goes, it isn’t cheap. With a two-year service agreement, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 will cost you a whopping $750. Should you want to go the off-contract route, be prepared to spend $850 for the device. For these high price points, you get 32GB of internal storage. For comparisons sake, a 32GB iPad Air on Verizon would run $729 without a contract.

The big selling point of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is of course its 2560×1600 12.2-inch display. Other specs include 3GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 800 processor. Note that the processor is different from the WiFi-only model do to issues with the Exynos chip and LTE connectivity.

If you’re looking to drop $850 on Samsung’s latest tablet, head over to Verizon’s website now. If you’d rather get the WiFi only model, it’s available on Amazon for $750.

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Anyone who has friends that use iOS has probably heard of QuizUp. QuizUp is a simple trivia game that rocketed to the top of the iOS charts, but left many of us disappointed in the lack of an Android client. Today, however, the developers have finally released an Android version of the app to the Play Store.

The Android version of QuizUp is nearly identical to the iOS version. After you create an account, the home screen presents a variety of popular trivia categories. Categories range from sports to music to food and so much more. If you have great success in a certain topic, you become ranked higher, which can eventually lead to titles and badges. The game has great social integration, as well, allowing you to play with your Facebook, Google+ and Twitter friends, in addition to random opponents from around the world. The app also supports Google Play Services, which will share your activity to Google+.

Join over 10 million people who play and love QuizUp! Challenge your friends and connect with other players around the world in the largest real-time trivia game ever. Go head to head with over 200,000 questions in over 400 topics, ranging from your favorite TV shows and books to sports and music. New topics are added every week so QuizUp will surely test your knowledge while keeping you entertained for hours on end!

QuizUp is available for free on the Play Store now. You may notice that there are in-app purchases, but these are simply XP boosters. They don’t affect the actual gameplay at all and are not necessary at all.

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Since its release, CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta has been at the forefront of expanding the Chromecas’s capabilities. He first released his AllCast app that allowed users to beam a variety of content to their Chromecast, and now, he’s updated his Mirror for Android app with a few big new features. In a post on Google+, Dutta announced that Mirror for Android has been updated with the ability to mirror your Android device’s screen to a Chromecast or a Chrome browser. Dutta has been teasing this feature for a while, but he finally released it tonight, albeit in a very early beta.

The feature works just as you expect. After installing the app and going through the set-up process, you have the option to mirror your entire Android device’s interface to your Chromecast, Chrome browser, or even Apple TV. Mirror also allows you to create a video recording of your Android screen.

Mirror lets you:

• Create a video recording of your Android
• Mirror your Android screen to Chromecast (Nexus 5 only)
• Mirror your Android Screen to Chrome (Nexus 5 only)
• Mirror your Android screen to an Apple TV

Of course, there are some bugs given that it is still in an early beta. Chromecast and Chrome mirroring is also only supported on the Nexus 5, as it’s the only device that has the required hardware video decoder for the app. You also must have root-access to your device and have the SuperUser app installed.

If you meet all of these qualifications, head over to Dutta’s Google+ page where you can sign-up for the beta and get access to the Mirror for Android app. Dutta hopes to release it, without root required, to the Play Store officially soon. Check out the video demo up above.

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Motorola this evening has released an update for its Touchless Control app that adds a few new features. Most notably, the update adds a new feature that allow you to ask your phone “What’s up?” to have your notifications read back to you. Simply say “Ok, Google Now, what’s up?” or “Ok, Google Now, read notifications” and the app will read your notifications back to you, allowing you to make the decision of whether they are important or not. Obviously, this is most useful while driving and can help you find out why your phone is buzzing without putting yourself or others at risk.

In addition to the “What’s up?” command, the update enhances end-of-speech detection for improved accuracy and faster responses and includes some bug fixes. The full change log is below:

Originally released back in July, Google has just updated its Google Play Games app from version 1.1 to 1.5. The update adds some useful enhancements to help it compete with the likes of Apple’s Game Center.

First off, Play Games now supports the ability to send and view invitations to join multiplayer games. Previous versions of the app only allows you to join games from within the app and did not support invitations. Further improving the social and game discovery aspects of the app, the update has also added the ability to see what games people in your circles are playing.

A few slight interface tweaks have also been made. the settings have moved from the Action Bar to the side bar. The side bar also contains a new menu called “Matches” that allows you to manage your invitations. New “Recommended Games” and “Find Games” tabs have also been added.

The update is gradually rolling out to devices now, but if you can’t wait, head over to Android Police, where they have the download now.

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The Evernote team has released an update for its Android app today that adds a few very useful features. Most notably, the updated has added support for handwriting. Evernote touts that this is more than just a handwriting add-on and that the feature is throughly integrated throughout the app. You can easily switch between typing and handwriting, which is very useful if for instance, you are taking notes during a lecture and want to draw a chart or graph. The handwriting is also searchable, assuming it’s readable, so that you can search both text and writing when needed.

The editor has also received several enhancements, including a new text highlighter, better support for notes in other formats, and the ability to edit content in tables created on other platforms. The update also adds the ability to create a note link, allowing you to quickly jump between notes, as well as the ability to duplicate a note. Finally, the camera has also received some enhancements and is easier and faster to use.

Check out the full change log below and download the update on the Play Store.

Handwriting

• Write and sketch inside your notes!
• Keep handwriting, text, photos, and files in the same note
• Choose from several colors and line thicknesses

Editor improvements

• New: Text highlighter
• Better support for notes made on other platforms
• Edit content in tables created on other platforms

Note improvements

• Create a note link to quickly jump between notes
• Duplicate a note
• Better, Faster Camera

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Since its initial release last year, the Chromecast has added support for a plethora of apps and services, including Plex, Vevo, Songza, and many more. Last month, Google announced the Chromecast SDK, which it said would make supporting the device even easier for developers. Online streaming video service Vudu has now announced that it too will soon support Chromecast with that SDK.

On its website Sunday, the WalMart-owned company stated that both its Android and iOS apps will soon receive updates that add Chromecast support. The company also adds that streaming will be available through Chrome on Windows and Mac, although that has been available since day one.

There are no details available as to when we can expect the Android and iOS Vudu apps to be updated, although we can’t imagine it taking too long. Rdio and Beats Music are also expected to add Chromecast support soon, so it’s clear that the SDK is going to help beef up the app selection significantly.

After unveiling the first ad for its Galaxy S5 flagship last, and briefly breaking Twitter with a selfie, Samsung has just announced a suite of premium app deals for Galaxy S5 customers.  The app suite will come bundled for free with Galaxy S5 purchases and includes a variety of premium services, subscriptions, and apps for free.

Evernote, Bitcasa, and LinkedIn are all offering 3 months of their premium services for free to Galaxy S5 customers. Bloomberg is offering a free yearlong subscription to Businessweek, while the Wall Street Journal is giving customers a 6 month subscription for free. Previous Galaxy devices offered free DropBox storage this time around, however, users will get 50GB of storage on Box for 6 months.

The full breakdown of offerings is below:

• Run Keeper – 1 year free premium service ($20 value)
• Lark – 1 year premium service ($36 value)
• Skimble – 6 months free premium service ($42 value)
• Map My Fitness – 6 months free premium service ($36 value)
• Wall Street Journal – Free 6 month subscription to Wall Street Journal ($160 value)
• Bloomberg Businessweek + – Free Subscription: 12 Months ($30 value)
• PayPal – Enjoy special offers (totaling $50 or more in value) from your favorite stores when you pay with PayPal
• LinkedIn – Free LinkedIn Premium account for 3 months ($75 value)
• EasilyDo Pro – Free app purchase ($5 value)
• Blurb – Free $5 Coupon ($5 value)
• Cut the Rope 2 – $10 in-game credits ($10 value)
• Flick Dat – Free download of $2 paid app ($2 value)
• Box – Free 50 GB for 6 months ($60 value)
• Bitcasa – Free Premium Service: 1TB storage for 3 months ($30 value)
• Evernote – Free Premium Service for 3 months ($15 value)

All of these deals put together total out to more than $500 in savings, which is pretty impressive and certainly makes the Galaxy S5 slightly more enticing.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivOspWGlMdk

Rumors of HTC’s upcoming flagship have been around for a while now, especially now that Samsung’s Galaxy S5 has been announced. HTC has an event scheduled for March 25th, but that hasn’t stopped numerous pictures of the device from being leaked, including a clear press shot of the device in gold. Now, a kid from Schaumburg, IL has posted an exhaustive 12-minute hands-on video with the device, nearly three weeks ahead of the phone’s official unveil.

The video doesn’t show a lot that we didn’t already know. We do get to see the latest version of HTC Sense in great detail. The kid calls it Sense 6.6, which doesn’t seem very logical, as it is expected to be Sense 6.0. The video also shows the welcomed addition of a microSD card. Most notably, there are now two rear cameras, as expected, while the power button has been moved to the top right and the headphone jack to the bottom. The camera interface has also been greatly simplified with a focus on speed. There are six shooting modes, as well, including: Camera, Video, Selfie, Zoe, 360 Panorama, and Dual Capture.

HTC is set to officially unveil the device on March 25th, but in the meantime, checkout the video up above and let us know if you notice anything neat. Full gallery of images below:

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Earlier this week, a report emerged claiming that Ferrari, Volvo, and Mercedes are going to unveil the first iOS in the Car integrated vehicles this week. iOS in the Car was first announced by Apple at WWDC in June, though the company has been rather quiet since then. Now,  it appears as if Google is getting ready to take a stab at an in-car technology system.

According to a job posting, first spotted by German site Mobi-flip.de, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler is looking for a software engineer who can help implement Google’s in-car system. The in-car interface will reportedly be called “Google Projected Mode” and will allow users to “seamlessly integrate” Android devices into a dashboard’s head unit.

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After announcing its acquisition of Motorola late last month, Lenovo is ending the month with another big bit of news. According to a new report from Re/Code, Lenovo has inked a deal with Ashton Kutcher, star of “Jobs” and “Two and a Half Men”, to release a line of smartphones later this year.

In an interview with the publication, Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman noted that while the deal does sound kind of odd at first, Kutcher is an engineer and fits the role very well.

“I know on one level, it sounds corny, but it is real. He not only sees himself as an engineer, but he is an engineer. If he sees a problem, he wants to solve it.”

Lenovo and Kutcher have been working together since October, with the actor taking on the role of developing and promoting the company’s Yoga line of devices. Kutcher won’t have much of a say in terms of the design of the phone, but look and feel of the software experience will very much be his.

Kutcher studied biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa, so he certainly is qualified. Although, he did drop-out to pursue a modeling career before graduating. He’s invested in numerous technology start-ups, however, including FourSquare and Uber.

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After a wave of updates for its Android apps yesterday, Google has just announced an update to its Hangouts for iOS app. The update brings the app version number 2.0.0 and is the first update for the app since all the way back in November.

The update adds a plethora of features and design tweaks, most notably of which is an iOS 7 optimized interface. There are aren’t a ton of changes, but everything definitely has the iOS 7 look and feel to it.Menus and buttons are now totally “flat” and much cleaner overall. The iPad app has also gotten some major tweaks, including picture-in-picture video calling. The app also now supports the ability to send video messages up to 10 seconds long, ala Snapchat.

The full changelog is below:

• Fully-optimized for the iPad, including picture-in-picture video calling
• Animated stickers that help you share exactly how you’re feeling
• Record and send video messages up to 10 seconds long
• Send a map of your current location

The update is live on the App Store now.

Google’s had a busy Wednesday in terms of app updates so far, having just released the Google Experience launcher for all Nexus devices and Play Edition devices. Now, the company has released a substantial update for the Google+ Android app. The update includes the normal group of bug fixes we’ve all come to expect, but it also includes a plethora of new features for photographers.

First off, the app now offers the ability to start editing a photo on one device, and then continue the process on another Android device. There are also a handful of new filters and editing tools, many of which we’ve seen before from Snapsneed. There are also some interface tweaks, such as a new “View All” option, which displays your entire photo library, both local photos and cloud photos, in one central interface. Finally, the update also a new option to quickly view photos by the date they were taken.

The full change log via Googler Vic Gundotra is below:

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At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, SanDisk has just announced a new accessory that will make many Android users very happy. The company has unveiled the world’s first ever 128GB microSD card. More specifically, the card uses the microSDXC standard, meaning that it works with devices only that are compatible with XC, not just the lower-end HC.

SanDisk does note, however, that the card is “designed for Android” and will be fully compatible with many Android devices. In addition to this new 128GB card, SanDisk will also be updating its “Memory Zone” app for Android, which allows users to easily and access files stored on microSD cards. The app also allows users to back up content to it and free-up internal device memory. A new “OptiMem” will automatically transfer older photos on a device to external memory.

The availability of 128GB microSD cards also signals that we could soon start seeing Android devices with 128GB of internal storage. This would be a big upgrade, especially when the operating system on many devices takes up more than 6GB of space.

The 128GB SanDisk microSD card will run $199.99 when it is released. The card will be available exclusively from Amazon and BestBuy.

Samsung just unveiled the fifth iteration of its Galaxy S line of smartphones at Mobile World Congress, and alongside that unveil, the company shared some sales numbers. According to Samsung CEO JK Shin, the South Korean company has sold more than 200 million Galaxy S smartphones since the line was first introduced in 2010.

While Shin didn’t break down that 200 million by each specific smartphone, we do know that Samsung crossed 40 million sales of the Galaxy S4 back in October. In December, the company announced that it had sold 10 million Galaxy Note 3 units. Another report also claimed that Samsung sold a whopping 120 million smartphones total in Q3 of 2013, more than Apple, Nokia, and LG combined.

Apple recently crossed an even bigger milestone by selling  its 700 millionth iOS device. Of course, that number also includes the iPad. Either way, it’s clear that both Apple and Samsung are neck and neck in terms of device sales. Samsung could also soon face stiffer competition from HTC when it unveils its newest flagship.

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Following a pair of leaked images this morning, Samsung has just taken the wraps off of two new Gear smartwatches, the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo. The difference between the two models is the lack of a camera on the Gear Neo. As rumored earlier this month, both of the models have ditched Android in favor of Samsung’s Tizen operating system.

According to Samsung, the switch to Tizen will offer many improvements to the end-user. First off, Tizen is much less power intensive, which means battery life has improved to 2-3 days, according to Samsung—much better than the one day life given by the original Gear. Tizen will also offer an “enriched application ecosystem” to the user.

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Back in November of 2012, Google acquired the then 2-year old startup BufferBox. BufferBox was a service that provided customers with temporary lockers in certain locations to accept packages at from online retailers. At the time of the acquisition, Google said that BufferBox would “keep doing BufferBox,” but today, Google has announced that it is shutting the service down.

The BufferBox team now says it will work to “bring the learnings, technology and expertise of the team to future Google Shopping products.”

For those that are BufferBox customers, the company says it will stop accepting packages on March 31st, 2014 and that the last day to pickup packages is April 21, 2014. More details can be found on BufferBox’s FAQ page.

Since being acquired by Google, BufferBox has spread from its home Waterloo, Ontario to other cities such as San Francisco. We can only assume that Google will still continue to expand the self-serve pickup idea, but without the BufferBox branding.

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Back in November, Google announced that Currents news service would slowly be transitioned into a new Google Play Newsstand app, and today, the company has finally taken the final step. Google today released an update for the Currents app that makes it nothing more than a pathway to Play Newsstand (via Android Police).

When users launch the Currents app after updating, they will be presented with a screen telling them to download Google Play Newsstand. Newsstand will be able to automatically import all Currents subscription, making the transition as easy as possible for users. Once users agree to make the switch to Newsstand, the app icon for Currents will disappear, making it impossible to ever return.

iOS users are still waiting for Google’s Newsstand app, but there’s something with an eerily similar name preinstalled on all iOS devices already…

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