Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5Toys, Electrek, and more. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.
The notorious leakster Upleaks has today posted a new image that appears to be an HTC training slide, outlining how the company plans to monetize the home screen of your HTC handset. Yes, you heard that right, HTC—if this rumor turns out to be true—is going to be placing ads and product promotions within its HTC Sense Home home screen…
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From Electrek:
Elon Musk, although CEO of a company based on Silicon Valley, often finds himself without a place to sleep when he’s away from his $17 million home located in Los Angeles. According to statements from Google CEO Larry Page given to Ashlee Vance for his upcoming book on the Tesla CEO, Musk is “kind of homeless,” and sometimes sleeps over at Page’s house when he’s in town.
“He’s kind of homeless, which I think is sort of funny,” Google CEO Larry Page said. “He’ll e-mail and say, ‘I don’t know where to stay tonight. Can I come over?'”
Larry Page hasn’t “given him a key or anything yet,” though, for his 8,000 square-foot, six bedroom home in Palo Alto. He owns another 6,000 square-foot environmentally friendly mansion on the same property. But maybe it won’t be long—it would make sense that maybe Musk’s focus is more to build out his business relationship with Google. It’s not like he couldn’t afford to sleep in a nice hotel.
The Washington Post put together some other notable quotes from the book.
While Google just recently introduced the Pinterest-like Google+ Collections feature, it appears that another “Collections,” feature, YouTube Collections, will be getting the axe later this month. YouTube Collections currently lets you organize and group your subscriptions into different folders to more easily find videos you want to watch, but Google says that it’s retiring the feature on May 20th to “focus on other efforts to make your subscriptions more enjoyable.”
“Easy come, easy go” is the usual with many of Google Services (and features therein), so it’s not exactly surprising when we find that Google is planning to ditch a feature in one of its products—no matter how useful it might be to any number of people. It’s possible that Google is soon introducing a new, better, way to peruse through your subscriptions, and they might even be retiring the feature partially to prevent confusion with the other “Collections” feature.
Our thoughts: As someone who isn’t exactly the most hard-core YouTube user, I didn’t even know this feature existed. Actually, now that I do, I kind of wish Google was leaving it so that I could start using it to organize my 50+ subscriptions.
A report from earlier this month said that both 8-inch and 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab S2 tablets are in Samsung’s pipeline, and today we have our first look at what very well might be the 9.7-inch variant of the device. On first look, it appears that the device’s screen has an iPad-like 4:3 aspect ratio…
As of sometime yesterday, apps in the Play Store can now be listed in search results as “Coming soon”, and clicking on them takes you to a standard listing page that offers the opportunity to “Pre-register”. The first app to take advantage of this functionality is the upcoming Terminator Genisys: Revolution game from Glu…
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Games for Android: Monument Valley $1 (Reg. $4), Goat Simulator $2 (Reg. $5)
Moto 360 available for $180 (Reg. $250) for a limited time
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5″ Internal SSD $98 shipped (Reg. $120+), more1-year PlayStation Plus membership $40 shipped (Reg. $50) http://t.co/0UL1qq5ADm pic.twitter.com/5H1YVQDUIz
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 8, 2015
Tab overload.
One of the things I struggle with on a daily basis—and forgive me, I know it’s a first world problem—is an overload of Google Chrome tabs. I have a bad habit of just opening countless new tabs without even thinking, and I’m really bad about managing them and closing the ones I’m no longer using. Chrome just makes it way too easy to end up with a few dozen tabs open, while only actually using a few.
I figured it wasn’t possible that I was the only one that struggled with this. With just a quick Google search, I found a free Chrome extension called “Tab Wrangler” to help rectify the situation. It’s a nifty little plugin. Without hardly any set up, it will help manage your tabs for you and close the ones you don’t need—and it will even keep you updated on your negligence with a little red badge telling you how many tabs it has closed for you…
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AppChat is a really interesting new app. First released just a week ago in a humble thread on XDA-Developers, the app—which creates little chatrooms for all of your currently-installed apps—has seen the creation of almost 80,000 of these rooms and more than 70,000 messages sent within them. The response has been pretty big, and the app has gone through 6 releases over the last week to make the experience as great as possible.
But what exactly is AppChat?
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According to Sprint’s support website, the carrier’s Samsung Galaxy S4 should today start receiving its update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. As you likely are already aware, the update brings the famed Material Design aesthetic, changes to the OS notifications system, and other improvements.
Lollipop is still just now being pushed to various flagships across the major carriers, and this is just one more added to the list. If you’re a Verizon customer with the Samsung Galaxy S4, you should have received your update sometime in late April.
Google is set to announce the next major version of its Android mobile operating system at Google I/O at the end of this month, codenamed Android “M”. We’ll be on the ground in San Francisco during the I/O keynote to keep you in the loop on all the latest developments.
We’ve seen just about anything running on Android Wear at this point—from Minecraft: Pocket Edition, to Flappy Bird, to Windows 95. Today, Corbin Davenport is back with another video, this time showing off another ancient operating system running on the miniature Samsung Gear Live wrist computer. This time, he’s running the Macintosh II’s System 6 (and the emulator he’s using—Mini VMAC II—supports up to version 7.5.5)…
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According to a report this afternoon from Bloomberg, “people familiar with the matter” have said that Google is preparing to give Android users more control over what data gets shared with their apps. Users will, at some point in the near future, have “more detailed choices” over which pieces of their information that apps have access to:
Google’s Android operating system is set to give users more detailed choices over what apps can access, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter remains private. That could include photos, contacts or location. An announcement of the change, which would put Android closer in line with Apple Inc.’s iOS, is expected for Google’s developer’s conference in San Francisco this month, one of the people said.
More than likely, this is a feature that Google will be announcing alongside Android “M” at this year’s Google I/O conference which is set to kick off at the end of the month.
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Games for Android: Monument Valley $1 (Reg. $4), Goat Simulator $2 (Reg. $5)
Moto 360 available for $180 (Reg. $250) for a limited time
It looks like all hope is not lost if you applied for a ticket to Google I/O in March and initially got rejected. Scattered reports have started streaming in that some users who were rejected at first have now begun receiving emails inviting them to purchase a ticket to the event…
Following our report last month that the Android Lollipop 5.0.2 update was causing Nexus 7 and Nexus 5 devices to become bricked, it now appears as if the Nexus 9—which just received the update earlier this week—is suffering the same problem. While not all Nexus 9 devices that go through with the 5.0.2 update are being killed, threads on Google’s Product Forum suggest that this is definitely not an uncommon issue by any means…
Google has announced today that it is beginning its rollout of Android 5.1 to the Nexus 9 at some point today. It has been a long time coming for the Nexus 9, with the flagship Google tablet just earlier this week receiving its update to 5.0.2—which first hit the Nexus 7 in December of 2014. Now, finally, it looks like Android 5.1 (more specifically Android 5.1.1) will be coming to the Nexus 9 very, very soon.
A new report from German site winfuture.de suggests today that a new LG G4 variant, sporting model number LG-H525N, is in line for announcement later this year. This isn’t simply a smaller version of super-powerful LG G4, though; the site suggests that this miniature “G4” variant will be a middle-range phone with mediocre specifications.
AT&T has today pushed an update to the LG G3 (specifically model D850) over-the-air, and with it comes VoLTE support. That sounds great; who wouldn’t want some AT&T HD Voice goodness? Wait until you hear what else this update brings.
On top of VoLTE support, you’re going to get a couple of other goodies. AT&T Mail and Uber are also making their way to your home screen with this update and—if you want VoLTE—you’re just going to have to deal with that.
Here’s the full change log, as per AT&T’s support website:
What’s changing?
This software update includes:
- VoLTE
- AT&T Mail
- Uber
You can expect the update to be rolling out OTA right now, and you’re going to want to make sure you’re connected to WiFi if you plan on updating.
The infamous Amazon Fire Phone is getting a substantial update today, bringing the device from Android Jelly Bean (yes, Jelly Bean) up to the almost not-ancient Android 4.4 Kit Kat. With this version of Android, the phone is getting a plethora of new features that—almost—help bring it into 2015.
YouTube Creator Studio, Google’s mobile app made for YouTube users to manage their channel, has today been updated with Material Design—including a new hamburger button and slide out drawer—among other minor changes.
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Dropbox has today updated its Dropbox for Gmail Chrome extension with several new features, including—most notably—the ability to attach folders and several files at once. The update also includes the ability to more easily send larger files, send files to anyone (regardless of if they have the extension or a Dropbox account), and the ability to quickly save files that you receive via Gmail to your own inbox.
Here’s the full change log:
- Easily send large files. Just click the Dropbox icon in the compose window, select files or folders, and click Insert Link(s). No waiting for uploads to complete, no file size limit, and no eating up space in your inbox.
- Say goodbye to zip files. Attach folders and multiple files instantly, without having to zip files up.
- Send files to anyone. Even if they don’t have Dropbox or the extension, recipients can see and download the attachments you send them.
- Quickly save files sent to you. Add files to your Dropbox with a click so you can access them anywhere.
You can grab the Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store right now for free. It’s still in beta, so don’t expect everything to work perfectly, but it looks like the app is nearing a full release soon—as today’s release is version 0.9.6.
Google has announced today, in the midst of teacher appreciation week in the US, that it is bringing some new “Classroom treats” to its mobile app. Most notable among the changes is the ability to grade assignments from the app (as you can see above), and the ability to “add private feedback to give students guidance, encouragement, constructive criticism or personalized feedback.”
Other features are also being added, including the ability to create and edit assignments while on a mobile device, as well as the ability to create an assignment simply with the snap of a photo. Google says that teachers can learn more about how to use these features at its new Support page, which outlines how to create and modify an assignment within the app:
You can create an assignment in your class stream, attach materials to it, assign it to one or more classes, and grade and return it to students. After you create an assignment, all students in the class receive a notification by email (if they haven’t turned off notifications) and can see the assignment in the class stream.
These features should be rolling out “this week,” according to Google.
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Moto 360 available for $180 (Reg. $250) for a limited time
Android ‘M’ has been basically confirmed to be coming at this year’s Google I/O (thanks to an Android for Work Session description that has since been removed from the site), but that means one big question that always plagues us before the official launch of a major Android update is now upon us.
What do you think the “M” will stand for?
LG has opened up a trial program for its to-be-launched LG G4 flagship, and will be giving the device to a “small group of VIPs” to give it a try before its official launch later this year. The program will also apparently include a “social media challenge” of some kind:
The all-new G4 is coming, but before the big release day, LG is giving a small group of VIPs exclusive access to the device through the LG G4 Trial Program. Best of all, you could be one of them. If you’re selected, you’ll receive a FREE brand-new G4 and a unique social media challenge to help you explore and show off the device’s full capability. Want to be considered for the program? To be notified when enrollment starts, simply sign up below. Spots are limited, so don’t wait.
The most front-facing (or back-facing?) change of the LG G4 is its new back cover design options, specifically the leather variant that LG has so widely touted. The device also packs some of the most advanced camera technology to ever be seen on a smartphone, including a new “Manual” photography mode and a F1.8 aperture.
As for specs, the phone has a 5.5-inch display, 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage by default. It’s ditching the Snapdragon 810 and packing the Snapdragon 808 SoC, and also sports a 3,000 mAh battery (which lasts more than a day on average).
We gave the G4 a quick look late last month, and a full review is on its way.