Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Pictures in Auto-Backup on Google+ Can be Attached in Gmail Now
Google just keeps making this better and better. For some people, I tell them to sign up for Google+ simply for the backup features of their pictures. And now Google has made Gmail able to attach pictures that were backed up from your phone or tablet. So if I take a picture with the HTC One (M8) I can then jump over to my laptop and send an email and attach that picture. Just as easy as can be. We could already see our pictures in Drive, and we could also attach items from Drive, but now we are cutting out the middle-man, so to speak, and making it much easier to attach pictures.
To insert a picture, just tap on the pictures icon to insert one as you’d usually do. And all your backed up pictures should then populate that popup box. Just select your picture, choose whether you want it inline or as an attachment then tap on insert. Just as easy as can be. Google is quickly becoming the premiere place for storing your pictures. As you get unlimited space at 2048×2048 dimensions – or if you want full-size pictures you’ve got 15GB of free storage to store those, and they give you all kinds of photo editing tools as well as auto-enhancing your pictures, which is always great.
The feature doesn’t appear to be rolled out quite yet – as it’s not available in either of my Gmail inboxes – but we should see it hitting everyone’s inbox in the next few hours or so. If you have it available in your inbox, be sure to let us know how you are liking this new feature in Gmail. I think it’s a great idea and I can’t wait to see what else Google does to integrate Google+ into the rest of their services. It’ll definitely make things easier around here, when forwarding screenshots and such to other writers on the team.
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Google Glass Available to General Public for Today Only Starting 9AM ET
For a while now, Google’s wearable technology project, Google Glass, has been available to a select few dubbed Explorers. To the disappointment of many users, it’s been difficult to get your own device, but for today – and today only – Google will be opening up Glass for everyone in the United States. Starting from 9AM ET, April 15th, everyone in the US will be able to become a Google Glass Explorer. We have no idea how much stock Google has to give out, but Google themselves have already confirmed that the price will be $1,500 (plus local sales tax) and that you can choose your favorite frame or shade, allowing Glass to be a little more personal from the get go.
Glass has changed quite a bit over the past year and while the jury is still out on whether or not such a device is genuinely useful, plenty of Explorers have been having the time of their lives with Glass and the project continues to improve. We’re assuming that today’s one-day only sale will include the second generation hardware that the Glass team introduced a little while ago, too. There are a lot of reasons why you might want Glass, it makes communicating with others a hands-free experience, you can take first-person video or photos at a moment’s notice and there’s no need to be stuck to your smartphone all the time when you have Glass.
We wouldn’t be surprised if today’s one-day sale sells out pretty quickly, as Google has said a number of times that Glass still isn’t ready for the primetime, and today’s sale might be a good way to widen the net a good deal to get even greater feedback on the hardware and experience itself. Glass is also receiving an update that brings KitKat and more this week, so those new to Glass will have the latest and greatest software ready and waiting for them. To place an order for your own, you’ll need to head to the source link at 6 AM PT/9 AM ET.
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Motorola UK Boss Leaving the Company in Wake of Lenovo Acquisition
For smartphone manufacturer Motorola, a lot has happened in the last few years, and for some, it’s now time to move on. In the last four or so years alone, Motorola has been sold to Google, made a comeback of sorts and subsequently been sold to Lenovo. It’s safe to say that it’s been pretty rough for Motorola these past few years, struggling to find the right footing in a market dominated by Samsung and Apple, to being bought by Google for patents more than anything else. The acquisition by Lenovo left a lot of us feeling nervous for the company’s future and it’d seem that Motorola UK’s boss felt the same, and is now leaving the company.
Andrew Morley, Managing Director for Motorola’s UK operations is now leaving the company, saying that it’s “very difficult to commit to another three years at the company now that it is in the hands of Lenovo.” We’re not sure why Morley feels Lenovo is going to somehow adversely effect Motorola’s direction, after all they’ve made the ThinkPad more successful than it’s ever been and they’re one of the few PC manufacturers that is successful right now. Morley’s decision might be more down to Google’s apparent washing its hands of Motorola than Lenovo’s involvement, saying that “Google was a great employer, and many people stuck around at Motorola because of Google, but now that incentive has gone.”
Morley explains that he was only told of the acquisition 30 minutes before the public announcement, something that we’re sure didn’t help his upcoming decision whether or not to stay with the company. Little things like this make it seem more and more like Google was simply looking to offload the sinking ship that Motorola had seemingly become.
Morley hasn’t decided what he’s going to do next, heading to another UK division of a mobile firm is on the cards, but it looks like the former Motorola UK exec is just looking forward to taking a well-earned break. While Motorola’s international position is up in the air as we wait to see how Lenovo manages the company, the Moto G has been a successful product for them in the UK, putting them back on the map across the Atlantic. We doubt that Morley holds any discontent for the company’s new owners, after all he has been there for 7 years now, and everyone needs a change every once in a while.
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Monday, April 14, 2014
TWRP Recovery Released for the Oppo Find 7a Before the Device is Available Stateside
The team behind Team Win Recovery Project has outdone themselves again. They work hard to bring you the latest recoveries for your devices, and this time they’ve done it before the device in question is even released in the U.S. or Europe. I’m talking about the Oppo Find 7a. TeamWin has already released their latest TWRP recovery for the Find 7a. The device is still only available for pre-order here, but that didn’t stop TeamWin from making it happen. The device is only available in China at the moment, but that was enough for these amazing devs to build TWRP and release it to us.
This recovery is only for the Oppo Find 7a, not the higher-end Find 7. All you’ll need is an unlocked bootloader, which Oppo makes easy to do. Oppo is one of the most developer friendly manufacturers today, making it very easy for anyone to unlock and tinker with their device. You can flash the TWRP recovery image in fastboot mode. Very simple to do, and then you’ll be ready to start flashing new ROMs and mods. That is, of course, once the phone starts shipping to regions outside of China. You can pre-order the Find 7a now on the Oppo website. The device is $499 and should begin shipping by the end of this month.
The Oppo Find 7 and Find 7a are similar devices, but the Find 7a takes a little bit of step down in a couple of areas. Both devices sport a 5.5-display, with the 7 having a 1440p display resolution while the 7a is just 1080p. You probably won’t be able to tell the difference, even with the devices side-by-side. The Find 7 has a 3,000 mAh battery, while the 7a has a slightly smaller 2,800 mAh battery. The Find 7 will come with 3GB of RAM, the Find 7a only has 2GB of RAM. The internal storage is a little smaller on the 7a, at only 16GB, while the Find 7 will ship with 32GB of storage space. Both models have a microSD card for storage expansion, though, so that’s not a big deal.
You can head over to the TWRP site and download the recovery now, if you’d like to be ready for when your Oppo Find 7a arrives.
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Samsung’s New Gear Fit Commercial Demonstrates Their Idea Of Proper Use
Samsung’s new ad spots are attempting to attract people on more of an individual level this year, as the latest commercial from the Korean manufacturer is out and it’s about their new Gear Fit wearable fitness band, that displays how it fits into one persons life. A recently released commercial came out last week about the Galaxy S5, promptly on time after the official launch on all major US carriers and other regions around the globe presenting the same message. Now they’re showing just how one should be using the Gear Fit, or rather how we can use it and how it would benefit anyone who decides to pick one up. The commercial is quick and to the point, just like their last one about the S5, so it begs the question of whether or not it will work.
Would you be more interested in buying a Gear Fit after seeing this commercial? We have to admit, watching it definitely gets us a little more interested in a fitness band, but not necessarily the Gear Fit. The video goes through different uses for the Gear Fit and displays the wearer with her Gear Fit on in different settings, which seeks to show potential buyers how it can apply to just about every aspect of your day. From work, to workout, to play and beyond, Samsung wants you to know how the Gear Fit can put you more in touch with your health, while also making things more convenient.
We all know that the Gear Fit is water resistant, so being able to wear it out in the rain like in this video is a good way to show how the elements shouldn’t slow you down from getting out there and staying active. While this commercial may not sway some into buying, if you are considering picking up a Gear Fit, what are some of the things that you’re looking forward to most with it? You’ll be able to track your steps, monitor your heart rate, and interact with incoming calls all from the convenience of your wrist, and although it isn’t the least expensive option out there for these types of wearables functions, it is cheaper than Samsung’s own alternative option with the Gear 2.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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Samsung Galaxy S5 Edges Out HTC One M8 in SquareTrade’s Breakability Test
The smartphones that release these days are generally slim and sexy pieces of kit, but unfortunately, we usually end up paying for those eye-pleasing aesthetics through fragility. Smartphones can’t exactly be considered the most durable devices on the block, after all. SquareTrade, a company that offers insurance plans on devices like smartphones and tablets, has rated the “breakability” of the Samsung Galaxy S5 as it relates to two other prominent Android smartphones – the HTC One M8 and the Nexus 5.
The results for the Galaxy S5 are encouraging. SquareTrade rates the breakability of a device on a 1-10 scale, with lower numbers being better. The Galaxy S5 slightly edged out the One M8, with the S5 taking home a score of 6 to the M8′s 6.5. The Nexus 5 posted a score of 7 in its own test, which means the S5 had the upper hand on Google’s latest flagship as well. Just the same, the Galaxy S4 had a breakability score of 7, so Samsung seems to be improving durability between iterations of its most popular device.
However, all three of those big Android devices ended up losing out to the iPhone 5S, which scored a 5.5 in SquareTrade’s breakability test. Though we all love Android for one reason or another, it would appear that manufacturers have some catching up to do in terms of durability. As you can see from SquareTrade’s infographic (click the thumbnail below to see the full-sized image), the Galaxy S5 can boast a “low risk” rating for the front and back panels, water resistance, and the drop test. It’s weight gives it a “medium risk” rating in that department, while its overall size, performance in the slide test, and “gripability” all land in realm of “high risk.” With those results in mind, you don’t necessarily need to panic if you drop your Galaxy S5, but if you do something like slide it across pavement, then it’s time to worry.
All in all, it’s encouraging to see that the Galaxy S5 offers a durability improvement over its predecessor and other high-profile Android devices, but that score of 6 could definitely be improved when we make the jump to the Galaxy S6 next year. Have any of you early Galaxy S5 adopters experienced any problems with durability, or do you think your phone will survive some close encounters? Head down to the comments section to let us know.
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