Category: Articles

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Android Wear Smartwatches Now Work With iPhones

AndroidWearforiOSIt’s a good day for iOS users who like choices.

Sure Apple has their own watch, but if you’ve been eyeing the diversity of hardware in the Google ecosystem with envy, now you can use Android Wear without giving up your precious iPhone.

Starting today, any iPhone running iOS 8.2 or higher can install the Wear companion app through iTunes. Compatible with all current Wear watches, and you’ll have access to features like your notifications, fitness tracking, and “OK Google” voice search.

I know you’ve been checking out those round watch faces like the LG G Watch R… Don’t lie… You can catch the full press release below.
Continue reading “Android Wear Smartwatches Now Work With iPhones”

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Where Leo Laporte “Demonstrates” How Easy it is to Damage the Note 5’s S-Pen…

After writing my cranky rant about this S-Pen problem yesterday, I got a number of tweets and replies about how this issue is completely overblown, and everyone should just know (I guess innately?) that you shouldn’t do this. Apparently we’re all born with the evolutionary knowledge NOT to EVER slide an S-Pen into a Note 5 backwards.

Thankfully Leo Laporte from This Week in Tech was gracious enough to sacrifice his Note 5 for the cause. Live on the air, in discussing the story, he was fiddling around with his Note 5, and fell for the S-Pen trap.

This video should stand as a clear warning to NOT even THINK about TRYING to insert your S-Pen backwards, even though it slides in easily. There is no tactile feel for when you’ve gone too far, or when the internal latch system will clamp and ruin your day.

Continue reading “Where Leo Laporte “Demonstrates” How Easy it is to Damage the Note 5’s S-Pen…”

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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 “PenGate” – Doctor it HURTS When I Do This…

So the Doctor replies “then stop doing that”.

Why is this joke funny? Because we all recognize that the doctor isn’t really addressing the problem, and we’ve all shared in situations where we’ve felt an issue has been ignored or dismissed.

The Galaxy Note 5 suffers from a design flaw. If you insert the S-Pen into the stylus cavity the wrong way, it breaks the sensors in the phone which detect the S-Pen has been removed. In some cases, the Pen can become lodged in the slot, making removal extremely difficult.

samsung s-pen pengate galaxy note 5 design flaw somegadgetguySamsung’s official response to this issue?

We highly recommend our Galaxy Note5 users follow the instructions in the user guide to ensure there are no issues.

“Just don’t do that, and you’ll be fine.”

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 5 “PenGate” – Doctor it HURTS When I Do This…”

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Cortana BETA for Android Available to All on Google Play – No Google+ Required

cortana vs google now on android somegadgetguyWe’ve been seeing leaked versions of Microsoft’s digital assistant popping up on Android forums, but Cortana for Android is now available as a public BETA for everyone, no special login or credentials required.

One of the more popular features found on Windows Phones, Cortana can replace Google Now as the search and assistant on Android devices. Known for having more personality, she often does a better job of responding to casually delivered commands. We showcased some of her capabilities here in this older review of Windows Phone.

You can grab the BETA for yourself by going to this preview page, and happily you wont need to sign up for any Google Plus community or developer access. Enjoy!

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Alcatel OneTouch Becomes Official Partner of the LA Galaxy and StubHub Center

Alcatel OneTouch has signed a multi-year partnership with the LA Galaxy which includes a partnership with their home stadium, the StubHub center.

Alcatel OneTouch Senior VP Steve Cistulli with LA Galaxy President Chris Kline
Alcatel OneTouch Senior VP Steve Cistulli with LA Galaxy President Chris Kline

“The opportunity to partner with the LA Galaxy – our home MLS club – with such a legendary history, is very exciting as we continue to strengthen and grow our brand here in North America,” said Steve Cistulli, Senior Vice President & General Manager of North America for ALCATEL ONETOUCH. “By continuing our MLS investment, we’re not only able to tap into one of the youngest and most socially engaged audiences in North American professional sports, but are also able to work with the LA Galaxy to directly engage with our local community.”

As the official tech partner, Galaxy fans will be able to play with gear in stadium. Plus they’ll have opportunities to win smartphones and tablets at home games and through social media. Alcatel OneTouch will also be active in the Galaxy’s community outreach programs, which should be easy for the company as they’re based in Irvine, which is only a short drive from the StubHub Center.

01 StubHub Center for LA Galaxy Game against NYC August 23 2015You can read the full press release below.

Continue reading “Alcatel OneTouch Becomes Official Partner of the LA Galaxy and StubHub Center”

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Google’s Project Sunroof Looks to Make Solar Panel Shopping Easier

Screenshot (3)It can sometimes be a bit difficult finding good information on installing solar panels. Google’s Project Sunroof hopes to make the process a bit easier.

Utilizing their mapping data, and monitoring trends from homes with panels already installed, Google will be creating a database for home owners to search. Answering questions like how much sun a roof might receive, what options they have for installation in their area, and what the costs versus savings might look like.

The project is only currently supporting three cities, Boston, San Francisco, and Fresno, but knowing Google’s ability to traffic this kind of data, I would imagine the project will grow quickly. How do you not easily add a city like Phoenix or Albuquerque right?

Hit the Project Sunroof site for more info.

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The Next Version of Android Will be Called Marshmallow!

android marshmallowWe’ve been playing with the preview builds of Android M, but of course one of the most important points of speculation is what dessert name that “M” will stand for.

Google HQ took the wraps off a new lawn statue, and now we have our answer. Android M will be Marshmallow.

Hopefully the update will be more solid than the treat it’s named after 😉

Courtesy Dave Burke Twitter Account

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Samsung Unveils the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-5-and-S6-edge+Here we go folks! Samsung is pushing up the timetable on their large screen phones, and we’re getting our phablet fix a little earlier than last year.

We now have proper confirmation on specs for these two handsets, and it looks like the rumor train was pretty spot on.

The Galaxy Note 5 is following in the footsteps of the Galaxy S6. We’ll be continuing the more iPhone inspired lines wrapping around the edges of the phone. This means no removable back plate, no swappable battery, and to support Samsung’s internal storage file system, there will not be any MicroSD card expansion. Focusing on “THIN” means we do have a subtle bulge coming from the camera module on the back of the phone.

The battery will also shrink down to 3,000mAh from the Note 4’s 3,220 cell. Samsung is betting on fast charging, and wireless “fast” charging, over including a larger battery capacity. Full charge over USB cable in 90 minutes. Full charge wirelessly over two hours.

We stay with a 5.7″ Quad HD AMOLED screen (resolution of 2560×1440) and these phones will be powered by an Exynos Octa-Core processor and 4GB of RAM. Built in storage options are limited to 32GB and 64GB, which might be a bit lean for a phone with such a monster camera on board. The 16MP, half inch sensor, shooter with OIS returns. Now including an f/1.9 aperture for better low light performance and depth of field. We imagine it will perform very similarly to the camera on the Galaxy S6 (full camera review, KumbaCam samples). Continue reading “Samsung Unveils the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+”

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