Stephen Hall

amazon firetv hero

HBO GO has made its way to most major platforms by now, including iOS, Chromecast, Apple TV, and more. But today, the streaming service has launched on yet another set-top box: Amazon’s Fire TV. According to Amazon, HBO GO was the most the platform’s most requested service.

Since launch, Amazon Fire TV has more than quadrupled its selection, with over 700 apps and games now available. With the addition of HBO GO, Fire TV customers now have access to over 1,700 titles including every episode of new and classic HBO series, as well as HBO original films, miniseries, sports, documentaries, specials and a wide selection of blockbuster movies.

Whether or not you plan on using the new streaming service doesn’t really matter if you don’t have a Fire TV. So if you’ve yet to get on the Fire TV bandwagon, Amazon’s trying to give you another reason. For a limited time, they’ve knocked $20 off the price of the Amazon Fire TV to celebrate the addition of HBO GO.

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Android get updated with a slew of new features

Stephen Hall Dec 15 2014 - 1:19 pm PT

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Google has announced today that, following a slew of updates that came to the Google Drive collection of iOS apps last week, the company’s Android apps for Drive are also receiving a few updates today:

Docs has some new, handy line spacing controls that let you choose single, double or fractional line spacing, Sheets has scrollbars for faster navigation, and you can now insert, move, resize and rotate text boxes, shapes and lines in the updated Slides app.

All three apps are now even friendlier with Office files with easier file creation and other updates, and we’ve added better accessibility options and squashed some bugs.

The updates coming to this set of apps may seem minor, but there are a few notable additions here. Scrollbars in sheets is going to make that app much more usable, and the ability to create and edit graphics within Slides is going to make it much easier to make presentations that are closer to what you’d be able to do on the desktop.

Google says that the updates should be rolling out today. If you don’t already have them, you can get the Docs, Sheets, and Slides Google Drive apps over on the Play Store for free.

Gartner: Samsung continues to slow amidst Xiaomi growth in China

Stephen Hall Dec 15 2014 - 11:36 am PT

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Gartner today published its third quarter numbers, showing overall growth in the smartphone market and a strong quarter for Apple. Mobile devices overall saw as many as 456 million sold with smartphones taking a 301 million slice of that pie, which comes out to a solid 66% (up 20% from last year). This shift in the market seems to be hurting Samsung and Nokia the most, because while the Korean giant is still leading the pack, this year smaller companies with slimmer margins seem to be taking some of its foothold.

PSA: All Moto 360 owners should have Android Wear 5.0.1 before end of day

Stephen Hall Dec 15 2014 - 9:24 am PT

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Last week Google started pushing the latest build of Android Wear, version 5.0.1, to a wide variety of devices. Of those that started to see the update on the 10th of December was Motorola’s Moto 360 smartwatch, but the rollout of the update has been slow and incremental. According to the rollout schedule, only 5% of devices received the update on the day it was first released.

Looking at that same post on the Motorola forum, however, we know that all 100% of Moto 360 devices should have received the update by the end of the day today, December 15th. So if you’re still waiting on the update (build LWX48P) to hit your watch, keep hitting reloading that update page. Sadly, Motorola says that users don’t have any way of manually updating their devices outside the release schedule.

Rollout Schedule
Users will not be able to force an upgrade out of turn

12/10: 5%
12/11: 25%
12/13: 50%
12/15: 100%

Sprint says Android 5.0.1 Lollipop for Nexus 5 ‘released,’ should be rolling out soon (Update: T-Mobile too)

Stephen Hall Dec 15 2014 - 7:25 am PT

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Sprint has updated its software update release notes page for the Nexus 5 to list a release date of December 15th (today) for the much-awaited 5.0.1 update to Android Lollipop. The build, version LRX22C, should be rolling out to devices starting today but–as usual–could take several days to arrive.

2014-12-15 09_22_32-Find and update the software version on your Google Nexus 5

Since we’ve been waiting a while and this is one of the last devices to get the 5.0.1 update, this should be sign that the update will be rolling out to all devices regardless of carrier soon. The update doesn’t pack any known big features, but is rather an incremental under-the-hood update.

Google has yet to update its factory image download page on the Developers site with the image for this release, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that showed up very soon. Downloads are available, however, for the Nexus 4, 6, 7 (certain models), 9, and 10. We’ll update this post when you can grab the latest build for the Nexus 5.

Update: T-Mobile has also updated their support documentation.

Update 2: Image now available.

Lollipop 5.0.1 factory image for Nexus 9 (LTE) now available for download

Stephen Hall Dec 12 2014 - 3:13 pm PT

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The latest build of Android, 5.0.1 Lollipop, has been rolling out to devices for about a week now, and the factory image page has been slowly but surely getting updated with more downloads. A couple days ago we saw the addition of factory image downloads for the Nexus 4 and 6, but today the page has been updated with a link for the LTE model of the Nexus 9.

Today’s sketchy Samsung Galaxy S6 leak is almost surely bogus

Stephen Hall Dec 12 2014 - 10:13 am PT

Just got confirmation from multiple sources, this is NOT a Galaxy S6 prototype. GS6 is still a mystery. ;) pic.twitter.com/rODIh8kHZG

— Faryaab Sheikh (@Faryaab) December 12, 2014

We saw the supposed Samsung Galaxy S6 leak this morning, but we just weren’t convinced of its legitimacy enough to even show it to you as a sketchy rumor. It’s a good thing we didn’t, because a new report from Faryaab Sheikh–a very reliable source in the world of Samsung rumors–says this morning that he has received separate confirmation from many sources saying that the picture is definitely not a Galaxy S6 prototype.

Google Play Newsstand comes to four new countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Korea

Stephen Hall Dec 12 2014 - 9:41 am PT

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Google Play Newsstand, which serves as the hub of all kinds of news and magazines for your Android device, is apparently coming to four new countries as of today. According to a post made by the Google Play team on Google+, those countries include Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and South Korea.

Prepare the comfy chair. Google Play Newsstand is now in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Korea.

This addition, while expanding Play offerings to these countries, leaves a lot to be desired. Many of Google’s other Play services, like Play Music and Play Movies & TV, are still missing in a few of these countries. You can get Google Play Newsstand on the Play Store for free.

Action Launcher 3 is out with Quicktheme, app Covers, Shutters, and more

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 1:54 pm PT

2014-12-11 15_37_53-Action Launcher 3 - Quicktheme, Shutters, Covers and more! - YouTube

Action Launcher has always been one of the better known launchers to hit the Play Store, and today, Android developer Chris Lacy has released an updated version of the app with a bunch of new features that takes everything that was already great about the app and brings it up to date for Android 5.0 Lollipop. But this update isn’t just an iterative Material Design update; it packs a bunch of great completely new features as well.

Google: The Nexus 5 ‘will continue to be available’ in Q1 2015

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 11:52 am PT

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Many reports have been hitting the web this morning that the Nexus 5 has ceased production, and while that may very well be true (we’re pretty sure it is), there’s no reason to go buying a backup phone out of fear that the device is going to magically disappear from the Play Store over the next few days (at least according to an official statement provided to us by Google)…

PSA: Unlocked Nexus 6 is in-stock at Motorola.com (Act fast!)

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 11:25 am PT

nexus-6-stack

The Nexus 6 has been almost impossible to buy since launch (unless you go with one of the second-tier carriers like US Cellular). But now, if the unlocked variety is what you’re looking for, it appears the Motorola website has a few in-stock at the moment. Yes, of course they probably have more than a few. But the demand for the Nexus 6 is so high right now that it wouldn’t be surprising if they sell out so fast that it seems like they only had a few.

The site is currently listing every model, both in “Midnight Blue” and “Cloud White” as available to purchase in the 32 GB variety, but it seems like the 64 GB versions are still out of stock at the moment. The smartphone, which sports a 5.96-inch display, a 2.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805, an Adreno 420 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, and a 3,220mAh battery, is going to run you $649 for the model with 32 GB of flash storage.

Google Glass taking a trip to the International Space Station next week for flatworm study

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 11:08 am PT

Google Glass has been picking up news a lot more lately, with Google’s Eric Schmidt saying recently that the Mountain View corporation is taking its time bringing the device to a consumer release, and suggesting that when that happens Glass will be some sort of reimagined 2.0 revision. But the fact that Google’s in no rush to release the device’s next version isn’t stopping other companies from continuing to experiment with the technology, namely Kentucky Space, which plans to bring the wearable computer to the International Space Station (via Glass Almanac) as part of a mission launching (literally) next week.

Minecraft maker Mojang finally releases ‘Scrolls’ for Android tablets

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 9:19 am PT

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Scrolls Official Launch Trailer - YouTube 2014-12-11 11-10-18

It’s been a long time coming, but the maker of the famed Minecraft has released its much-anticipated card-collecting game, Scrolls. It’s been about 18 months since the game first entered beta, but during that time Mojang has spent countless hours perfecting the card-based strategy game that intends to give players an experience that mashes both card trading and board games into one medieval-themed adventure.

Here are the game’s main features according to the app’s description:

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: Building your army is only half the battle. Develop strategies and take control of the battlefield. The best bits of card and board games, combined.
BUILD YOUR ARMY: We currently feature over 350 scrolls spread across 4 unique factions. You can mix and match them as you please.
PLAY SOLO, OR WITH FRIENDS: Scrolls includes single player challenges along with online competitive and casual play.
CHAT AND TRADE: Trade with other scrolldiers on the black market, or spend your hard-earned gold in our store. Chat with other players both in and out of battle. Please be nice.
CROSS PLATFORM: Develop your skills and scrolls library by playing on Tablet, PC, or Mac. Battle with others, no matter which platform they’re playing on.
JUDGEMENT MODE: Build a unique deck in Judgement mode, then see how it fares against other’s creations.

The game is available today on the Play Store to download for free, but freemium content is available in-game ranging in price from $4.99 to $19.99 per item—and unlocking the full version of the game is going to run you that $4.99 price tag. Additionally, the game is available for Mac and PC and you can try it out for free as long as you have a Mojang account. Anyone who participated in Alpha or Beta testing of the game, or purchased Scrolls at any point in the past, will get the full version for free.

Mojang has said that an iPad version is also on its way, but won’t be available until sometime in 2015.

Here’s a gallery of screenshots:

Google brings new ‘guest mode’ feature to Chromecast via ultrasonic pairing

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 8:28 am PT

Chromecast

We told you back in June that ultrasonic pairing would be coming to Chromecast, and today the technology has officially arrived. Without any WiFi connections involved at all, Google has now given the green light for guests to be able to connect to your Chromecast and cast what they please.

Google Earth and Maps get new 3D imagery for San Francisco, New York City

Stephen Hall Dec 11 2014 - 7:59 am PT

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Google has today updated the 3D imagery in both Google Earth and Google Maps, taking advantage of newer cameras to provide much better accuracy and a more realism in select United States cities. The newer imagery can be seen on the left in the image above, where it’s obvious that the San Francisco City Hall building’s contours and architecture now have much greater clarity.

Google says that the first two cities to get this treatment are the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, New York. But while these two cities are the first to see the update, they definitely won’t be the last. More cities will be getting the new imagery throughout 2015, according to Google.

To give you another look at the new imagery, here’s the new view of the Statue of Liberty (left is new, right is old):

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As you can see below, there’s also new imagery that only recently became possible. The new 3D view includes the relatively new Six World Trade Center in New York, and there’s also new imagery of the Bay Bridge:

unnamed

Official Android Wear, Google Wallet, and Chromecast apps get minor updates

Stephen Hall Dec 10 2014 - 2:59 pm PT

Google has slowly but surely been updating its apps to fit its own design guidelines, and even as late as yesterday updated the Hangouts application (and that one’s still not quite there). Today, both the Android Wear and Chromecast apps have been updated to sport the Material look and, while not many other drastic changes have come to either app, it’s nice to have a bit of consistency between Google’s first-party offerings.

The Android Wear app companion app was suitably updated today amidst the release of Android Wear 5.0.1 Lollipop, providing support for the new version of the operating system. But the new version, thankfully, packs a redesign that brings it more in line with Material. The Chromecast app also got an update today, and on top of the fact you can now use the screen casting feature on any Android phone running 4.2.2 or higher, it now sports Material as well.

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Google Wallet was also updated today, with its main new feature mentioned on Google+ as being the fact you can now manage your gift cards and loyalty programs from just one section of the app. As you can see above, under the “Loyalty and gift cards” section, you now have three sub-sections: Active, Expired, and Featured. The app also got a slightly tweaked appearance, bringing the app closer in line with the Material Design guidelines.

You can get the latest versions of Android Wear, Google Wallet, and Chromecast on the Play Store soon.

DeviantArt releases an official Android app for the first time

Stephen Hall Dec 10 2014 - 1:04 pm PT

2014-12-10 14_56_12-DeviantArt - Android Apps on Google Play

DeviantArt is one of the largest creative hubs on the net, but until today, you were stuck with choosing between half a dozen third-party unofficial apps if you wanted to browse the site on your Android device. Now you can do so via DeviantArt’s brand new official app, and while it doesn’t come anywhere close to following the trendy Material Design scheme (because it didn’t want to), the app definitely gets the job done.

Facer updated to support Android Wear 5.0 and watch face API

Stephen Hall Dec 10 2014 - 11:57 am PT

2014-12-10 13_46_18-Facer Watch Face - Android Apps on Google Play

Facer, a popular Android Wear app that lets you create your own watch faces, has today been updated (via Phandroid) to support the official watch face API part of the newly-released 5.0 update to Google’s wearable OS. The new API, which this update takes advantage of, allows faces to act more like a native watch face and less like a hack, which is going to make them just a bit more functional, efficient, and easier to manage.

Developers: Official Android Wear watch face API now available

Stephen Hall Dec 10 2014 - 11:16 am PT

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Following the announce of the next major version of Android Wear this morning, Google has today announced that the official API for Android Wear watch faces is available to developers. The company has also published a video to help give some guidelines to developers on how to take advantage of the API and help them get started.

We’re pleased to announce that the official Android Wear Watch Face API is now available for developers. Watch faces give users even more ways to express their personal style, while creating an opportunity for developers to customize the most prominent UI feature of the watches. Watch faces have been the most requested feature from users and developers alike, and we can’t wait to see what you build for them.

Google asks that developers have their watch faces transitioned to the new API by January 31st, 2015, after which point Google says they plan to completely remove support for watch faces that aren’t built with the API.

You can check out the official watch face API over at the Google Developers website. You’ll need Android Studio 1.0.0 or higher, an Android device with version 4.3 (API level 18) or higher, and an Android Wear watch with version 5.0 (API level 21) or higher to start building faces.

Major Android Wear update with watch face API support, other improvements rolling out now

Stephen Hall Dec 10 2014 - 10:26 am PT

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Google has begun rolling out an update (we assume version 5.0, but we won’t know for sure until we have our hands on it) for its Android Wear platform and, as expected, the update focuses primarily on the launch of the official watch face API while also bringing a handful of useful improvements to the wearable operating system.

T-Mobile announces new $100 unlimited 2-line data plan, $100 10 GB 4-line plan

Stephen Hall Dec 9 2014 - 3:05 pm PT

T-Mobile-infographic-1

AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon need to watch out. The “uncarrier” has announced yet another couple of reasons they hope will get you to ditch your current cellular provider for T-Mobile. Today, CEO John Legere and his cohorts have come out to announce that T-Mobile is now offering a 2-line family plan that comes with unlimited talk, text, and 4G data, for $100 a month.

Talking Schmidt: Best quotes from #FTInnovate conference

Stephen Hall Dec 9 2014 - 1:51 pm PT

(Photo via <a href="https://twitter.com/AniBaboomian/status/542430824793010176">Ani Baboomian</a>)

There’s always something insightful worth hearing when Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt starts talking, and his presence today at the annual FT Innovate conference in New York is no exception…

Wikipedia for Android Beta gets Material UI overhaul, support for Android Lollipop

Stephen Hall Dec 9 2014 - 12:49 pm PT

2014-12-09 14_36_58-Edit Post ‹ 9to5Google — WordPress

Update 1/15/15: The non-Beta version of the app was updated today with the same features that came to the beta version last month.

Wikipedia is definitely one the more used Android apps, and today the app’s beta channel has been updated with a plethora of new features. Most notable of them is the fact that today’s release packs a Material design revamp (including a new drawer and overflow menu), and support for Android 5.0 Lollipop. Other features, like the return of the search bar and other layout improvements, are just a couple of the more than a dozen changes made in this version.

The new version also features improvements to search order, Wikidata descriptions under page’s titles in search, and swipe to refresh on pages and on the “Nearby” tab. You’ll also notice, at the bottom of an article you’re reading, that this new version adds a new section called “Read more” where you’ll find various related articles. Finally, rounding out the more obvious changes, there’s now an option in the “More” section for disabling image loading (helpful if you are strapped for data).

As noted on the app’s Play Store listing, here’s the complete list of changes:

– Material design icons and 5.0 support

– Search bar is back

– Search order improvements

– Wikidata descriptions in search results, similar pages, under pages titles

– Swipe to refresh on pages and for Nearby

– Collapsed infoboxes

– Better tablets layouts

– Read more section

– Allow disabling images

– Basic syntax highlighting of templates while editing

– Hide IPA

– ToC drawer always on

– Similar pages, page issues, reference info display changes

– Display MathML images

– Remove pinch-zoom

You can get Wikipedia Beta for free on the Play Store.

Project Ara marketplace in the works will be like Google Play for hardware modules (Updated)

Stephen Hall Dec 9 2014 - 11:45 am PT

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Project Ara is still slowly but surely making its way toward being a commercial product, and today one of the mysteries of the device–how people will buy and sell various interchangeable hardware modules–has been answered. Globant, a company focused on delivering “innovative software” has announced that they’ve partnered with Google’s Advanced Technology & Projects (ATAP) group on the development of a marketplace made specifically for Project Ara.