Android

Google’s Motorola-made Nexus 6 is finally a thing. Preorders didn’t go over well for everyone, but hopefully it won’t be too difficult to pick one up from a carrier or the Play Store after its official launch. Meanwhile, here’s what you can expect from the Nexus 6 if you decide to grab one. We’re unboxing the Nexus 6 and taking a closer look at what it has to offer in terms of design and overall first impressions. Is this going to be the best Android flagship in 2014? Let’s find out…

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Verizon is increasing data for customers on $80 and $100 More Everything plans, the company announced today following a similar announcement from AT&T. The carrier is now offering 10GB for $80 and 15GB for $100 up from the 6GB and 10GB those tiers previously offered. Verizon notes that the deal isn’t restricted to new customers, but it is a limited time offer available through its website.
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The latest numbers from Strategy Analytics reveal that Android was installed on over 8 of 10 smartphones worldwide in the third quarter, as the mobile operating system captured 84% global market share for the three-month period ending September. That figure arrives just one day after the research firm reported that Chinese company Xiaomi has become the third-largest smartphone maker in the world.

Android continued to be a dominant player in global smartphone operating system market share, increasing its lead over iOS by three percentage points compared to the year-ago quarter. Apple’s mobile operating system held 12.3% market share during the third quarter, trailed by Windows Phone (3.3%) and BlackBerry (0.7%). Other mobile platforms accounted for less than 0.1% market share.
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Samsung has just unveiled two new Galaxy devices. The rumored “A Series” is finally here. Samsung’s Galaxy A3 and A5 are some of Samsung’s slimmest smartphones to date with a variety of social networking features and full metal unibody designs. The Galaxy A3 is a mere 6.9mm thin, while the A5 sits at just 6.7mm. Unfortunately, there’s nothing crazy happening in the specifications department…

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You won’t find this display on a smartphone you can buy just yet, but LG Display is today showing off a new 5.3-inch LCD smartphone panel that includes an almost non-existent 0.7mm bezel. That’s even thinner than some of the other super thin bezels to hit recent devices like the Sharp Aquos line and, according to LG, the world’s thinnest.

LG explained how it’s been able to achieve the extremely thin bezel, which it points out is thinner than the 0.8mm thickness of a credit card:
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<em>Worldwide unit shipments for the top 5 tablet plus 2-in-1 device vendors over last five quarters</em>

New data from IDC tracking worldwide tablet shipments shows that Apple has maintained its lead during the third quarter despite “a decline in overall iPad shipment volume in 3Q14.” Specifically, Apple grabbed 22.8% of the market with 12.3 million shipments during the quarter compared to 14.1 million units and 29.2% share in the year ago quarter. That compares to Samsung at 18.3% of the market and 9.9 million units shipped up from 19.3% and 9.3 million units shipped in the third quarter last year:
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While Google confirmed the $2.9B sale of Motorola way back in January, it is only today that the last piece of paperwork was signed and the formerly American-owned Motorola officially became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese electronics manufacturer Lenovo.

Announcing the completion of the acquisition on the Motorola blog, the company said that its headquarters would remain in Chicago, along with its offices in Silicon Valley … 
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Google invited some journalists to a location near its New York office today to look at its new Nexus products. On display were the Nexus 6, Player and 9 with plenty of accessories. I asked some questions, I took some notes I played around a little bit.

The Player:

• You’ve seen the video and there wasn’t anything new on display though I have to say the Material Graphics looked great on what I believe was at least a 70-inch display
• I talked to the product manager who told me that some of Google TV devices would be upgradable to Player. It was up to the OEM and hardware specs. I imagine Sony among others will update some of their products. I’m not as sure about the other “players”.
• Sony is again all in on Android Player all of their Smart TVs and set boxes (outside of Playstation) will be Players
• Many more OEM announcements will be coming at CES (we’ll be there!)

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Version 3.5 of the Google for Android application includes a new API that developers can take advantage of to activate “Ok Google” functionality within their own apps. According to the Android developer blog, software makers can add a few lines of code to their app to enable users to search it using a global voice command.

Once the feature has been integrated into an app (Talon, for example), users will be able to say things like “Ok Google, search for 9to5google in Talon” to trigger a search for that term within Talon.

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Google has updated Drive for Android with a Material Design facelift and three new features in improved search, better sharing and an enhanced PDF viewer that make it easier for users to find, view and share through the app. The update will be rolling out on the Play Store for Android devices over the next several days.

The new search bar in Drive is easier and more predictive at finding content by updating results as each letter is typed into the field. Meanwhile, the app has improved sharing functionality that allows for users to write a custom comment on shared files so that all collaborators know why they sent it.
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Google today announced it’s adding new ways to add money to its Google Wallet service in addition to some new features that will make keeping an eye on your balance easier. The app also appears to be getting a bit of a Material Design update on Android (as pictured above).

First up, you will now be able to setup automatic bank transfers that will ensure there is always money to spend in your Google Wallet account. The recurring transfers allow you to schedule weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deposits and can be cancelled at any time:
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Google is now deploying an update for its Google My Business Android app that makes it easier for business owners to reply to customer reviews. With this revamped software, entrepreneurs can track customer critiques in real-time on the web, allowing them to address praise or complaints in a timely manner directly from their mobile device.

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Google today announced that it’s rolling out an updated Google Play Movies & TV app for Android that introduces a second-screen experience when streaming TV shows and movies to a Chromecast or Nexus Player-connected TV. That means that your Android smartphone or tablet will now display actor or soundtrack information related to the content streaming to the big screen.
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Google has just raised the gates on Nexus 6 preorders via the Play Store. The Nexus 6 preorder date was unveiled on its Play Store landing page earlier this month and the time has finally come…

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