SamMobile reports on Tuesday that Samsung is now rolling out Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S5 in the United Kingdom, after seeding the software update in Poland, Spain, Russia, and Malaysia. The report claims that the update is arriving in the form of Android 5.0, despite Samsung internally testing Android 5.0.2 on flagship devices internally.
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While the American auto market has been dominated by the Big Three in Ford, General Motors and Chrysler for several decades, the landscape is beginning to change as technology-based competitors like Tesla and Google enter the scene. To keep up with the breakthrough pace of innovation, it may be necessary for the trio of auto makers to partner up with their new rivals in the coming years.
Right on queue with that idea, Time reports on Tuesday that General Motors is open to working with Google on developing self-driving car technologies. “I’m not in charge of deciding what we will and won’t do, but I’d say we’d certainly be open to having a discussion with them,” Jon Lauckner, Chief Technology Officer at General Motors, said in an interview at the Detroit Auto Show this week.
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Forbes reports that nearly one billion Android smartphone users that are not running the latest Lollipop operating system are at risk of malicious attacks due to Google no longer releasing security updates for the WebView tool on Android versions at or below 4.3 Jelly Bean. Research firm Rapid7 discovered that Google started the process of ending support for WebView late last year for devices not running Android 5.0 Lollipop.
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LG announced several features of its new G Flex 2 smartphone at CES 2015 last week, including a full HD 5.5-inch dynamically curved P-OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Octa-Core 64-bit capable CPUs, 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual LED flash, 3,000 mAh battery and Android Lollipop. But one important piece of information that LG has withheld to this point is how much the G Flex 2 will cost…
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A few months ago, we visited Toronto-based Cordon Labs for some hands-on time with the work-in-progress Pinć VR headset case for Android-based smartphones and the iPhone. Fast forward to CES 2015 and we’ve once again had a few minutes to check out a new and improved prototype of the headset, now 20% slimmer and closer to becoming an accessory that could actually be pocketable without protruding through your pants. Read ahead for my first impressions of the Pinć and a brief overview of where I think it is headed.
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It is the second day of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and we’re back on the show floor to discover the diamonds in the rough. Noke, the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled padlock, is one of those hidden gems. Noke replaces the nuisances of losing your keys or needing to remember random combinations with convenient unlocking over Bluetooth technology when your Android smartphone is within close range.
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Cyanogen announced on Monday that it has enabled nightly releases of CyanogenMod 12 based on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop. The company also confirmed that its more stable “M” release of the custom ROM is 85% complete. CyanogenMod 12 supports a limited number of Android devices at this time, including the OnePlus One and Moto G.
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Earlier this year, Google announced a new initiative called Android One that aims to bring high quality, affordable smartphones to emerging markets like India and China. Not long after, it confirmed that it would be aggressively marketing Android One smartphones in India, a largely untapped user base of nearly 1.3 billion people, and followed through by launching the program in the country last September. Now Karbonn, an Indian smartphone maker, is further committing to a long term partnership to the Android One initiative…
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While most malware is the result of third-party attackers trying to gain access to your device or information, security research firm Palo Alto Networks has discovered that Chinese handset maker Coolpad has deliberately installed a backdoor on two dozen of its Android handset models. The so-called “CoolReaper” backdoor presents several security risks and is believed to impact over 10 million users.
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Last weekend, Berlin-based developer Matt Aussaguel decided to further his Material Design exploration by creating a website for generating and exporting Material Design color palettes for Android Lollipop. Aussaguel believes that Material Palette could be the first Material Design color palette generator and a very useful tool for both developers and user interface designers alike.
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YouTube is hosting a live music night in Los Angeles to celebrate the past year in music, with performances from some of the most well known artists, such as Tyler Ward and Megan Nicole, on the platform. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM Pacific (10:00 PM Eastern) and we have embedded the live stream ahead…
Google has made several strides to improve the safety and reliability of Gmail in the past year, such as serving images through secure proxy servers and requiring an encrypted HTTPS connection. Looking to continue to that trend, Google announced on Tuesday that it has improved the security of Gmail on the desktop by adding support for Content Security Policy (CSP).
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Google and Verizon announced on Tuesday that they have entered into a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement to “reduce the risk” of future litigation (via VentureBeat). Both companies expressed interest in reaching similar agreements with other large tech companies in an effort to thwart patent trolls that assert their patents in the courtroom in an effort to pad their pockets.
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Chinese handset maker Huawei took the stage in Beijing today to introduce its next-generation flagship smartphone, the familiar sounding Honor 6 Plus. The all-new device, which has an unforgivably similar name to the iPhone 6 Plus, has a sleek, metallic design and takes on HTC with dual 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras and another 8-megapixel front-facing camera for added measure.
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Dutch privacy watchdog group CBP has threatened Google with up to a €15 million fine for violating Dutch privacy legislation. According to DutchNews, the issue stems from Google collecting personal information about users from Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and search results and combining the data into one profile for more effective targeted advertising.
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It was only a matter of time following Google’s acquisition of home automation company Nest earlier this year that users would begin receiving the best of both worlds. One of the first marriages of each company’s products and services is Google Now integration with Nest, allowing for users to control the smart thermostat using voice commands.
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Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has seen explosive growth since entering the market in 2010, emerging to become the world’s third-largest smartphone maker after just four years. According to a recent regulatory filing, the company is also profitable too, bringing in $56 million profit in 2013 despite having razor-thin margins on its smartphones and tablets.
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LG is continuing its rollout of Android Lollipop this week, after seeding the update in Poland and South Korea over the past few months. Android Lollipop should be rolling out for the flagship LG G3 as of this past December 12 in Austria, Baltics, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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Earlier this month, YouTube for Android was updated to version 6.0 with Material Design, new search filters and several other features. One enhancement in YouTube 6.0 that wasn’t mentioned following the update is newly added support for live chat on streaming videos (via Android Police). The feature is accessible by tapping or dragging open the Live Chat menu at the bottom of the app on live streaming videos.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdJg7KNH3A
Sony has uploaded a video to its developers channel that demonstrates how to unlock the bootloader of a Sony Xperia device, allowing for custom ROMs to be installed. Sony warns that you may void your device’s warranty and cautions about certain other risks that may occur.
The process involves generating an unlock code for your device through Sony by entering a unique IMEI number associated with the device. Then, you must install the Android SDK and all drivers and connect to Fastboot. Sony has a list of supported devices on its website.
BlackBerry might have pioneered the smartphone industry, but the iPhone and Android-based devices have since captured the market and left the Canadian company in the dust. Looking to remain relevant with modern smartphone users, the company ultimately caved in and released its popular messaging app BBM for Android and iOS. Today, users checking the Play Store will find a major new update for the app in their queue.
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Google may own the world’s most popular mobile operating system in Android, but it wants iPhone and iPad developers to recognize that the company has a lot to offer for them as well. Enter a new web series called Route 85, which will consist of a set of videos uploaded to the Google Developers channel on YouTube to showcase everything from SDKs to code libraries that iOS developers can take advantage of.
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Samsung is getting into the holiday spirit with an exclusive new Christmas edition of the Galaxy Note 4 that ships in velvet red. The smartphone arrives just in time for the festive holiday season, although the one major caveat is that the device is launching in South Korea only.
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Plex, a popular app for streaming media from your personal computer or server to a smartphone, tablet or other device, has been updated (via Android Police) with support for playlists, improved usability of play queues, bigger art and a dismiss button for playback notifications, the ability to play unwatched TV shows and seasons by default, option to play episodes from On Deck continuously and more.
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