Android

AT&T has launched a new initiative called Mobile Share Value Plans that is designed to save customers money on their monthly AT&T mobile phone service bills. The following changes are specifically for the Mobile Share program, which allows devices to work under the same AT&T account and share data, talk, and text plans. Similar to T-Mobile’s “un-carrier” approach, the new AT&T plans separate the cost of the device hardware completely from the monthly service charges:

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Google just announced a major update to Google Search for Android that is going to make finding information a whole lot easier. In simple terms, Google had added app listings to search results which allows your apps to show up in search results, as well as results from Google Play.

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Google has updated its Google Wallet application for the iPhone with a few notable enhancements. First, like it has added to its other apps on iOS as of late, Google now allows single sign-on for Wallet. This means that if you are signed in via Google to YouTube, Gmail, Adsense, or other compatible Google apps, you can be automatically logged in to the Wallet app. More interestingly, you can now use your iPhone’s camera to capture the data from your debit card or credit card to connect it to the app. Google added that feature to the Android app last month. Google Wallet recently launched a physical card program for Wallet. The update is free in the App Store.

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This isn’t by any means the first time we’ve seen a cloud storage provider offer up a special offer, in fact it seems like the cool thing to do these days. With that in mind, it’s worth noting that Amazon is throwing its hat into the proverbial free cloud storage offer with 50GB of storage with the purchase of over 100 carrier-branded Android smartphones.

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The moment I saw news hit that Cal by Any.do hit the Google Play store I wanted to run around the room screaming at the top of my lungs. Ok, maaaaybe I wasn’t that excited, but I love this app so much from iOS that it will instantly become my Android calendar app of choice. I’d download this twice if I could, if only because that’s how much I encourage you to give this a shot.

Google Play Cal by Any.do

From the makers of the popular to-do list Any.do, Cal is a “free, simple & smart calendar app for your Android. With a fast, intuitive and beautifully designed interface Cal is the only Calendar app you’d want to have on your homescreen.

With Cal:
■ Your events will come to life beautifully with smart maps, contacts, apps and social integrations.
■ Seamlessly connects with all your existing calendar services so you’re always up to date (supports Google Calendar, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL & iCloud)
■ Fast and intuitive – Schedule with one click and use voice control to add events
■ Awesome widget – We’ve created a widget that makes any peak at the agenda – a fun experience
■ New day, Every day – Each day starts with a fresh & gorgeous photo to celebrate the day in a fun way.
■ Daily Planning made simple. By connecting Cal with Any.DO you can check out your Any.do tasks for the day.
■ It’s always someone’s birthday. Write on your friends wall, buy a gift, make a call, or send them a message. It’s really easy.
■ At your fingertips – Cal makes it easy to find great places, restaurants, and bars nearby for meeting friends, family, and coworkers
■ Scheduling made easy – Simply jump to a specific date from the month view or swipe to next week.
■ Need a ride? Call an Uber with one click from Cal (available on supported locations)
■ Landscape view – tilt your phone for a more open view of your calendar (Android only feature!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgW719D4AQ&w=560&h=400]

Far be it from me to pass judgement on which Android tablet is the true “gamers” tablet, but a new survey via AllThingsD suggests the Kindle Fire is the people’s choice for gaming. According to a survey conducted this past June by IDC and App Annie, Amazon’s Kindle tablets received around 12% of the votes, far more than all other Android tablets combined. 

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We’ve been hearing rumors of a subscription music service from YouTube for awhile now, but according to a new report from AllThingsD, we are still a little ways off from seeing it launch. The blog reports, citing “people familiar with the company’s plans”, that the music service will not launch this year, but rather sometime in Q1 2014. Reportedly, YouTube has already secured the licenses with music labels, which is not an easy task nowadays, but is not satisfied with the actual service. Reports of the subscription service began appearing back in October, with the project supposedly nearing its final stages then.

There are still a lot of questions surrounding the service, as well. Such as, how it will differentiate itself from Google’s All Access service and how it handle user content, like lip syncs and mashups. Last week, an update to the YouTube for Android app revealed code that hinted at a “Music Pass” service that supported offline playback and was entirely ad free for “millions of songs”.

Since there’s no pinpoint launch date within Q1, it could be that we see the service launch relatively early in the quarter, which would mean we are not too far away from seeing it.

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Google Glass is expected to be available to consumers sometime in 2014, but if you’re really dying to get your hands on a pair of smart glasses before then, Vuzix has got you covered. The company today announced that its M100 Smart Glasses are now available to preorder for $1,000. The glasses are quoted as shipping within 2-4 weeks, so arrival by Christmas is not guaranteed.

The M110 Smart Glasses feature a 16:9 WQVGA display, which is equivalent to a 4-inch smartphone screen hovering 14 inches away. As far as cameras go, the device has a 5MP sensor for still images and can record video in 1080p. The glasses are powered by a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, as well as Android. They can also pair with your Android phone, and run many Android apps out of the box, as well as connect to WiFi networks.

At $1,000, the M100 Smart Glasses are definitely cheaper than Google Glass, but it remains unclear which will be more functional and what Google will add to its offering before making it readily available. 
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While the majority of Android users might still be a version or two behind despite some impressive upgrade numbers for KitKat, Google appears to be prepping the first update to KitKat with Android 4.4.1. A look at our analytics shows hits from a number of devices running 4.4.1 originating from Google’s home turf in Santa Clara, California. Above we can see a huge increase in hits from 4.4.1 devices over the last week.

Among the devices are both phones and tablets including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7:
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As Google releases its newest platform version numbers for December we’re giving a warm welcome to Android 4.4 KitKat and its first appearance. Arriving on the board at 1.1%, it’s an impressive feat for Android’s newest software considering it’s still only on a handful of the devices it’s actually available for outside of the Nexus 5. When Ice Cream Sandwich debuted back in December of 2011, it was only at 0.6% at the end of January. Jelly Bean saw a similar result as it released in August of 2012 and made its debut at 0.8%.

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We hear a lot about adoption of iOS updates vs the fragmentation that Android users are forced to deal with, but just how far behind are the top Android devices compared to iPhone when it comes to getting support? To answer that question, Fidlee.com has updated a chart that it first put together a couple years back in order to see if things have become any better for Android in recent years. It hasn’t.

In the chart above we see that many once flagship Android devices— the Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, LG G2 etc— have still not received the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update and in some cases are even further behind. Most of the devices on the list have been an upgrade or two behind since launch or not long after. In comparison, only the iPhone 3GS fives years after its release doesn’t support iOS 7. We also get a look at how much longer Apple devices generally stay available for sale and continue receiving support, nearly twice as long as Android in most cases.

Not only did Apple claim iOS 7 was “the fastest software upgrade in history” with more than 200 million devices installing the OS less than a week after launch, but analytics firms tracking adoption also noticed adoption was much higher than previous releases. Currently iOS 7 sits at about 77% of users, according to the latest data from Fiksu’s iOS Usage Monitor. While the chart above is only for devices released last year, things aren’t much better for newer Android devices. In comparison to iOS 7 adoption, Google reports that its latest release, Android 4.4 KitKat, is at just 1.1% weeks into launch. The previous release, Android 4.3, is at just 4.2%, while the majority of users remain on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean first released in July 2012. Currently KitKat is only available for Nexus devices and slowly trickling out to Moto X and Google Play Edition devices.

A couple more charts below from Fidlee showing just how bad things are on Android compared to iOS:
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Update: Motorla has just detailed the full process for obtaining a Moto X at $350 on its blog. The company will now issue coupon codes to obtain the device at a discount, and customers will have one week to redeem the code and design their device with Moto Maker. Visit Motorola’s blog for the detailed instructions.

While plenty of retailers and online stores will take the time this week to discuss the great sales they had, Motorola will likely be a lone sad face as they apologize for their website downtime. Originally planned as a sale for the Moto X with a $150 Cyber Monday discount, the Motorola website was slammed to the point of oblivion and the company even missed its self-imposed deadline to come back online.

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Visual Supply company, the group behind the uber-popular VSCO cam for iOS has finally set December 3rd as their Android release date. The app, available for most Android devices running 4.0 and above is a great camera app in the iOS arena and a most welcome addition to Android. This announcement in and of itself is good news, but what’s really great news is the price: free.

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There’s plenty of good Cyber Monday deals to be had and more will likely pop up as the day continues, but this 2013 Nexus 7 is one of the good ones. Offering $60 and $40 discounts, the free shipping offer includes both the 16GB and 32GB models. We should note that the 16GB version from ShopDivvy (tax in North Dakota) is a manufacturer refurb and comes ASUS re-certified and with the ASUS warranty. The 32GB model from Adorama is new and tax only applies New Jersey.

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Samsung has never been a company to shy away from introducing a dozen color variants for their flagship devices which makes new colors for the Galaxy Note 3 no surprise at all. The South Korean giant introduces Merlot Red, Rose Gold Black and Rose Gold White color variants to the world alongside the Blush Pink, Jet Black and Classic White that were launched back at IFA in September.

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If you’ve been looking for a good book these days, Google just made selecting your next novel a little easier with a special Google Books sale. The Cyber Monday deal is good on over 100 bestselling books, with discounts up to 75% off the cover price.

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Note: Strangely, Best Buy still offers the best deal on the Kindle Fire 7 HD with it starting at $99.99

Hello Amazon and two very good, no “unprecedented” deals on two of the internet most popular Kindle Fire tablets. Announced late last night, Amazon is taking $50 off the Kindle Fire HDX 7″, down from to $179 and the Kindle Fire HD 16GB now $119. The full deal is listed below along with links to where you should be whipping out your credit cards. If you’re in the Amazon ecosystem like myself, these are some pretty good deals and while its possible Amazon will discount again before Christmas day, why wait?

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTl00uili4&w=640&h=390]

Amazon’s never shied away from quietly mocking Apple’s iPad and that’s why this new Kindle Fire HDX and its distinctly British voice has us laughing. Calling it the “magical new iPad Air” in proper British tongue, this new commercial discovered via YouTube is offset with the American accented intro of the 8.9″ Kindle Fire HDX.

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We’ve already had a glimpse at Google’s Cyber Weekend extravaganza with deals on games, books, music, gadgets, magazines and TV series. However, even with our Cyber Weekend announce post earlier today, a new post with a broken down list of ALL the deals Google is hosting over the weekend was in order. Below you’ll find a list of all the hardware, software, subscription, music and game deals you will find from Goog this weekend. Credit goes to The Verge for compiling the full list but hit the Google Play link below to get your shopping groove on.

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