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Showing posts from June, 2016

SnapKeys keyboard for Android Wear will be available on round smartwatches

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At Google I/O, Google announced that with Android Wear 2.0 , smartwatches will support third-party keyboards. SnapKeys knew this was going to happen at some point and developed a new keyboard for smartwatches, now with round smartwatch support. The keyboard has six keys that can “intelligently” predict what you are trying to type. SnapKeys claims that you can type just as fast on this keyboard as on your smartphone, with 80 words per minute “achievable by users”. In addition to just tapping the keys, the user can also swipe on the keys to type, if they prefer. Read next:  10 best Android Wear watch faces Snapkeys has always been trying new things in the world of smartwatches, with them even launching a Kickstarter campaign last year with the idea of making a smartwatch with the sole purpose of making typing fast and easy on your wrist. With Android Wear, they aim to do the same with their latest update. To see the keyboard in action, be sure to check out the video above.

AT&T launches its Thanks program with Ticket Twosdays

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AT&T has decided to start thanking its customers by giving them free movie tickets starting this coming Tuesday. From now going forward, AT&T wants to offer you a weekly buy-one-get-one offer for movie tickets at participating AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment Group theaters. This is just the beginning of AT&T’s Thanks program, as they will soon be offering pre-sale access to concert tickets to their customers as well. If these pure-gratitude perks sound familiar, it’s probably because the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier is following in the direct footsteps of T-Mobile, whose more bombastic approach in their #GetThanked campaign caused quite a bit of hubbub following their 11th “Uncarrier” event. See also: 11th ‘Uncarrier’ move by T-Mobile brings you free movies, food, prizes, and stock 8 Unlike T-Mobile’s perks, which extend to all users (pre-paid and post-paid) AT&T is only extending their gratitude program to post-paid customers. Their Thanks rewards

Google formally announces Android 7.0 Nougat in a chipper little video

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To kick off the formal naming of Android 7.0, Google has posted a video unveiling of the newest Android statue resting outside Google HQ. The search giant prefaced the unveiling with a callback to the name selection process which saw users pitching their picks for Android 7.0’s sugary name. See also: Android N gets an official name: Android Nougat! 76 It’s worth noting that Google need not have bothered with #NameAndroidN. They could have just asked the writer of this article, who has been claiming that it was going to end up being called Nougat from the get-go. Ah, heavy rests the crown of prescience. Check out the video and then let us know what you think in the comments below. Is there a name you would have preferred to see Android 7.0 receive? I know Nutella was a favorite for a lot of users. Either way, an operating system version by any other name would still taste as sweet, so it matters less what we call 7.0 and more what cool features it will bring to the Android ecos

10 best new Android games of June 2016!

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Android gaming is getting bigger and better every month it seems and there is always a slew of new titles coming to Google Play. Whether you’re a casual gamer or you want something with a beat more meat on its bones, there’s usually a game coming out to suit everyone’s taste. Let’s take a look at the best new Android games from the last month! Best New Android apps from the last month Best Android games of 2016 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [Price: $4.99] Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a touching platformer-adventure game where you must use two brothers in tandem to overcome obstacles and find the Water of Life to save their ailing father. It features decent graphics, unique controls, and various puzzles that you must overcome. The key dynamic is using both brothers simultaneously in order to solve puzzles and progress forward in the game. It’s not overly long, but it’s pretty good and it has no in-app purchases. Get it now on Google Play! Heroes of Loot 2 [Price: $4.49]

10 best new Android apps of June 2016

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App developers are pushing the envelope on a daily basis trying to improve and enhance our smartphone and tablet experiences. In fact, so many Android apps come out every day that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. It’s difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you’re getting bored with what you’ve got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month! Best New Android games from the last month! Best Android apps, ever! ADW Launcher 2.0 (beta) [Price: Free] After three long years of silence, it seem as though ADW Launcher is making a comeback. The 2.0 version of the launcher is currently in beta in the Google Play Store and features quite a large selection of new features along with a new UI that better compliments today’s Material Design. Some of the new features include a custom widget mechanic where you can create widgets or use widgets that others have created, a bunch of new customization features, and there is now a backup

Facebook’s new, more adaptive news feed shows you more of what you want

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When you think about it, the amount of content churning through a given person’s Facebook news feed is truly a daunting torrent of information. The social giant has given its users the ability to filter and sort their feed a la “See First” and “Unfollow” capabilities, as well as the option whether or not to sort chronologically. However, that’s still just not enough. It’s all too easy for posts from those you’re most interested in to slip through the cracks. That’s why Facebook is overhauling the way their news feed sorts content on your home page. Although users have complained about changes to the sorting algorithm in the past, this one really does look like it will be a boon to users. In a post announcing the changes to be rolled out, Vice President of product management Adam Mosseri outlines a set of tenants called News Feed Values that determine what content you see in what order. See also: Chrome gets Facebook Share and Save plugins 5 The principles are pretty straightfor

Best Android security practices

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Shutterstock Keeping your smartphone secure might not be the first thing on your mind when you pick up your new flagship from the store, but we keep an awful lot of personal information on our smartphones these days, so it’s best to be protected. Especially given recent scares about Android security code exploits and the number of online accounts that are compromised each year. Here’s a short list of simple steps that you can take to keep your Android smartphone and your personal data secure. Keep your phone up to date Although Android updates don’t always appear regularly for non-Nexus smartphones, it’s always a good idea to install these updates when they come about. Since Google began providing monthly security updates for Android, protection against malicious exploits has improved a lot and it makes sense to keep as up to date with these patches as soon as possible to bolster your Android security. Lock-screens and fingerprint scanners You might be surprised to hear that ar

Setup shared devices in Google OnHub guest network – Android customization

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If you are the proud owner of one of Google’s OnHub routers, you may have taken the time to configure a guest network in addition to your main network. You may have a shared device on your network, like a Chromecast, that you’d like to share with guests to your home. Follow along this short Android customization post to see how to pass connectivity of your secured network devices through to the guest network on your router. This project is pretty simple itself, the hard part may be in deciding what devices to setup on what network, then to decide which on your main WiFi you’ll allow access via the guest network. Don’t worry, we’ll talk theory a little bit before we get too deep into the settings. Related reading :  Google OnHub hands-on impressions Before we begin Google On - Google Play Strore I hope it goes without saying, you’ll need a Google OnHub router to follow along today. This can be the TP-Link version or the ASUS version, like we’ll be using. You’ll also need to have a