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.
Google X director Babak Parviz founded and led both the Google Glass and contact lens projects at Google, but it appears he has now left the Mountain View corporation in favor of Amazon. This news comes shortly after just two months ago stepping aside to let former Old Navy and Gap marketing VP Ivy Ross take the Google Glass helm.
A new app has appeared in the official Glassware directory today, bringing you the ability to easily view the latest radar information on Google Glass. Whether you’re commuting to work or out for a bike ride, this app available to you in an instant gives you a quick glance at stormy weather in your vicinity.
If you have your hands on an Android Wear device, you might know that getting access to the third-party apps you have installed can be quite cumbersome — it definitely requires digging through a few menus to reach them. And most likely, this wasn’t an oversight by the Android Wear team. It wouldn’t make sense to simply have a mini Android smartphone on your wrist, and the Mountain View company instead decided to put Google Now front and center for controlling the device’s functions.
Google showed off its new “Material” design language alongside Android “L” at Google I/O 2014. And while you can follow our guide to get a glimpse at Android L in its full glory on your Nexus device, you can also simply load up a few new web pages that Google has redesigned in Google Docs.
A Turkish bank by the name of “Garanti” has managed to get its Glass app — not-so-appropriately called “iGaranti” — approved on the official Glassware directory. Interestingly, it managed to do this with Google Glass not even yet being available in the country, and also before any American bank even had an app officially approved. But regardless, it seems to actually be a quite useful app.
The LG G3 ‘Prime’ has been widely rumored, and now a Korean mall advertisement seems to all but confirm its existence (via GforGames). Following the announcement of the standard G3, Samsung came out intending to trump LG with the introduction of its slightly more powerful Snapdragon 805-powered LTE-A variant of the Galaxy S5. And since then, rumors have swirled that LG has a ‘Prime’ version of the G3 up its sleeve.
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The Play Store will soon be flooding with hundreds of watch faces for Android Wear, but this one is somewhat special. This is an “iWatch” theme based on the iOS 7 space background, and it comes from the same developer who made the “premium” watch face we told you about last week.
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Samsung’s app store, previously called “Samsung Apps,” was announced to be getting a rebrand to be “Samsung Galaxy Apps” right around the same time as the release of the first Tizen-based smartphone. That change happened on the web side on July 1st, but is today being pushed to the smartphone side as well (via Sammy Hub).
The update not only changes the name of the service to “GALAXY Apps”, but packs a few additional performance updates as well. Notably, the interface of the store is flatter, more streamlined, and reportedly a bit more responsive during use.
If you want to grab this update, it will be pushing automatically to users over the next few days. But if you’re an avid Galaxy Apps user and especially eager to get the new design, you can go to the Version Info menu and update manually.
Supposedly a “lite” variation on the LG G Pro 2, the LG G Vista, was leaked last month with Verizon branding. At the time, we didn’t have much information about the device other than its familiar appearance. Today, we have another leak courtesy of @evleaks detailing the device’s mid-range specifications.
LG G Vista VS880 (VZW): SD400 MSM8926, 5.7" 720p, 1.5GB DDR2, 8GB … – http://t.co/CJCbU8GnTg pic.twitter.com/aLRtaUChb8
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 10, 2014
Based on the above tweet, we can assume that the device will have LTE capabilities, a Snapdragon 400 CPU, 8 GB of flash memory, 1.5 GB of RAM, a 3,200 mAh battery, and front and back cameras clocked at 1.3 MP and 8 MP.
Custom back covers for the OnePlus One aren’t a new concept. The “Design” page on the OnePlus website has touted a selection of “StyleSwap” exchangeable back covers as “Coming Soon” for quite some time. However, a new tweet via the official OnePlus Twitter account teases these new accessories a bit, giving a date of July 22nd for the reveal of additional information about the covers.
Wood you like to know more? 7.22 pic.twitter.com/48wYQbPjn1
— OnePlus (@oneplus) July 10, 2014
We’ve done a hands-on of the device, giving you a look at the coveted flagship smartphone that seemingly nobody can really get for themselves. In response to the above tweet, many people are getting increasingly frustrated because a bit more information about the StyleSwap accessories does no good if hardly anyone actually has the device. Hopefully the phone will move beyond its invite-only availability soon.
Motorola has announced an awesome deal on Twitter, offering the almost-year-old Moto X at a steep $100 discount. To take advantage of the $299 price, though, you’re stuck with getting the unlocked phone through Net10 Wireless.
Now you can get #MotoX though @Net10_Wireless for just $299 through July 16. Get 50% off cases too. http://t.co/3U7PwJVXd1
— motorolaus (@MotorolaUS) July 9, 2014
Lucky for you, the phone won’t be stuck with any plain jane design; you can customize it as much as you like using the famed Moto Maker. If you’re fond of the famed wooden custom backplates, it’s only going to cost you an extra $25. As for cases, Motorola says that they’re 50% off with this deal.
The Moto X has seen many a price drop dating back to as far as November of last year. And it makes sense that Motorola would want to be pushing stock, as rumors of the Moto X + 1 are most definitely swirling.
If you’ve ever been using any form of Google voice recognition and gotten frustrated that the friendly female on the other side just can’t understand you, you may be happy to know that a quick command can now fix misheard words. Previously, you would have to start the query over completely, but the Google Search app can now fix its blunders on the fly using a natural corrective voice command.
We told you in May about a device that Samsung is purportedly working on to be its entrance into the currently-Oculus-dominated virtual reality market. Today, we now have a glimpse at a couple images that claim to show the upcoming device/accessory in the flesh (via Sammobile), and with IFA just around the corner, the leaks come at a pretty appropriate time.
Custom ROMs are a common commodity for Android users, with CyanogenMod being so ubiquitous as to be the default operating system for at least one flagship smartphone. But Android Wear devices are now available worldwide, meaning it’s just about time for a developer somewhere to improve the smartwatch software Google has shipped.
We told you late last week that Android Wear devices had started leaving the warehouse, and this week is seeing many of those orders reach their destinations. And with the devices now in more and more developers hands, countless apps have started appearing on the Play Store. It will soon get to the point where there are too many to keep track, but in the meantime we’re watching the Play Store closely for great (and not so great) new apps.
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It’s quite certain that Twitter will at some point launch their own app for Android Wear, but for those that are just itching to be able to tweet from their watch right now, there’s an app called “Bunting” that will let you do just that. The name might be confusing, but I can assure you there’s nothing baseball-related here.
Another alleged live photo of the rumored Samsung Galaxy F device has appeared (via GSMArena), and it appears to sport a bezel that looks very similar to another smartphone we all know very well. The rumored-to-be premium version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 has appeared in countless other leaks and live photos, but this is the first we’ve seen of the device close up like this.
By default, the launch Android Wear watches (which are now shipping) only come with a select number of watch faces that packed in the OS. It was only a matter of time before developers developed their own, however, and it appears that there are now a few available. If you’re lucky enough to have an Android Wear device on hand, you can install them the same way you install any Android Wear app.
Yesterday, LG G Watch smartwatches started shipping to anxious US customers. And today, the other side of the Android Wear launch pair is hitting the roads. Many customers are reporting that their Samsung Gear Live smartwatches, which were supposed to ship “by the 8th” according to Google Play, have already left the warehouse.
Is was bound to happen, and it looks like it’s here. On the day that the first Android Wear device began shipping and only a few days after Google I/O attendees were given a free device themselves, one developer has demoed a home automation system using an Android Wear smartwatch to control it. And even more interestingly, it runs on Android applications that are already on the Play Store.
Google’s official on-stage announcement of the Android Wear platform lead to much excitement from all kinds of technology enthusiasts, and the device went up for sale on the Play Store that very same day. Devices ordered before today were quoted as “leaving the warehouse” on July 3rd, and it appears that Google is following through with that promise. Now, buyers are being quoted “1-2 business days.”
Also worth noting is that today’s launch of the G Watch was paired with the seeding of the KMV78V update. While we aren’t quite sure exactly what changed with this update, there are surely general fixes to prep the device for public availability.
Be sure to check out more of our G Watch coverage:
According to a leaked internal T-Mobile memo, accessories being sold to eligible customers will qualify for an EIP (equipment installment plan) starting on July 20th (via TmoNews). Much more expensive smartphone accessories such as smartwatches and high-end Beats headphones are surely becoming more and more attractive to customers, and the un-carrier seemingly wants to give customers an easier way to get their hands on them.
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Following the Samsung Music Hub officially getting shuttered yesterday, the Korean company is notifying its customers via email that the video and media counterparts of the hub are also getting shut down in less than 30 days (via Android Central). As for why this is happening, Samsung very plainly says it plans to “focus on some exciting new video products.”
Users are already unable to purchase and rent content from the service, and previously purchased content will no longer be available to download after August 1st. And while content will still be playable through the player, Samsung is asking that customers transfer their account to M-GO. According to the email:
All Samsung Video and Media Hub customers who transfer their account to M-GO will receive the benefit of an exclusive Welcome Offer valued at up to $13. By transferring your Samsung Video and Media Hub content to M-GO, you will be able to access your previously purchased videos from M-GO’s library at no additional cost. Once content is transferred, you will no longer be able to re-download content you purchased from Samsung Video or Media Hub.
If you’re confused as to what exactly you need to do with your content and what this shutdown means for you, check out the official FAQ.
Countless accessory makers have taken to the Google Glass platform, but few have gone as far as Rochester Optical. The company is now offering a line of sun lenses for the device, hoping to make Google’s head-mounted computer just that much more stylish.