Tag: updates

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Android Youtube App Updated – Allows User to Control Streaming Quality

youtube android app streaming quality screenshot somegadgetguyQuick update for Youtube from Google!

It always bothers me when I can’t control streaming video quality (Netflix I’m looking in your general direction). On desktop browsers we can set the quality for Youtube. The user can make a choice between the speed and stability of a stream and a higher resolution.

Well now we can do the same on our mobile devices, which should have been a no-brainer feature when you think about how many of us are on some kind of metered plan, and fast 3G and 4G networks can be kind of spotty at times.

When playing a video in the app, tap the three-dot menu button, and you see an option of a gear icon. Tap on that, and you’ll get a menu where you can select what quality you would like to stream the video at. Interestingly enough, Android apparently only supports streaming up to 720p. Good to know.

This updated Youtube app (build 5.7.36) should all ready be rolling out now, so hit the Google Play Store to see if you’ve gotten it!

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AT&T HTC One M7 Updated with Sense 6 – New Blinkfeed and Camera App

HTC One M7 Update Blinkfeed Sense update ATTPlaying with this year’s flagship devices, it’s been great going back to see how good our phones were last year. In an era of premier phones all sporting 5+ inch screens, the HTC M7 stands as one of the last high end phones with a SLIGHTLY smaller screen. It’s a joy to use one handed, so that makes updates like these even more enjoyable.

HTC has really stepped up on the support front, and are following Google’s example in separating apps and services from full OS updates. The M7 is now getting updated to the newest version of Sense (the skin HTC developed to customize their phone experience). Now services like Blinkfeed and HTC’s TV remote app can be updated through Google Play. This brings much faster support to the ecosystem, as individual services can get updates and bug fixes without having to push OTA updates through carriers.

HTC One M7 updated camera app screenshot somegadgetguy

The M7 gets a great new Blinkfeed, it adopts the nicer camera app from the M8, and a few other goodies alongside the normal slate of patches and bug fixes. It breaths a little more life into on of the best Android’s from last year, and should prove to keep the phone running current software longer into the future.

You can check to see if you have the update by jumping into your settings, and AT&T’s changelog is below.

Continue reading “AT&T HTC One M7 Updated with Sense 6 – New Blinkfeed and Camera App”

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Google Separates Hangouts from Google Plus

hangouts update google plus somegadgetguyGoogle is doing something interesting with their services of late. Instead of continuing to try and tie everything together, apps are being sliced back out to stand as their own services. Recently we saw Google splice out Docs and Drive again. Photos stands as it’s own app, and now we see an interesting tweak to the most recent update to Hangouts.

When you used to tap on a profile pic in Hangouts, it would take you to a Google+ profile. Now, if you have that person in your contacts, it shows you a contact card. If you don’t have that person in your contacts, you wont see anything.

Following Google’s recent turn of not forcing people into combining Youtube and Google+ profiles, it would seem they are changing direction on what they expect of G+. What that will finally be remains to be seen, and we’re still waiting to see if Hangouts will eventually adopt Google Voice to become Google’s primary communication app.

Have you used the new Hangouts update? Has this contact change affected your use?

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Google Plus App Updated! Feature Walk Through of the New UI!

new google plus app on HTC one m8

We normally wouldn’t make such a big deal out of an app update, but Google has made some pretty significant changes to the Google Plus UI for Android.

Utilizing a sleeker and bolder interface, the whole experience feels a little snappier too. We go hands on in the video below to compare it to the older G+ app, and show off all the goodies!

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AT&T Pre-Loads FitBit app During HTC One M8 Update

HTC One M8 dual ultrapixel camerasLove them or hate them, Carriers are looking for “value added” partnerships and updates like these provide opportunities to expose consumers to new applications and services.

Like the recent update for the Galaxy S5 (which did actually help improve my battery life, but included additional apps which can’t be uninstalled) the M8’s update includes some fixes and enhancements to Bluetooth and an Extra Power Savings mode to give more run time.

Interestingly, the update also includes the FitBit application. HTC doesn’t make an app like Samsung’s S-Health which can track fitness and sleep. M8 owners will need to invest in some kind of FitBit to make use of the app, and it looks like a strategic partnership between AT&T and FitBit to offer up a solution for HTC customers.

If you own a Galaxy, you can pick up one of the many Gear smartwatches, but HTC hasn’t entered that market yet, so while shopping accessories, it’s up to AT&T to provide a solution both in-store and on-device.

Of course, if you’re not into fitness apps, or use a competing service, many will chalk this up to “more bloat”.

Full update press release below.

Continue reading “AT&T Pre-Loads FitBit app During HTC One M8 Update”

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Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview Update: Bug Fixes & Better Battery Life

windows phone 8_1 developer preview updateBefore the Windows Phone 8.1 update goes live for all, it looks like Microsoft has a small update for folks running the Developer Preview.

There isn’t an official changelog, but Microsoft’s Windows Blog claims bug fixes and better battery life. A nice bit of polish as the phones I’ve run the Developer Preview on have all seen less run time since updating. Fingers crossed this handles background apps and multitasking slightly better as Battery Sense routinely tells me apps like Internet Explorer are running down battery. We can also hope this will clear up the issue some 1520 owners have complained about their devices not waking up quickly after the screen has been off for a while.

Following the update, we also saw some core apps had updates ready to go as well. Nokia Camera, XBox Music, Videos, and Games all had minor bug fixes rolling out.

If you’re rocking the Developer Preview, head to Settings and scroll down to Phone Update to get the latest and greatest. If you’re not running the Developer Preview, you can at least be sure that when the official update is released it will have been through quite a bit of trouble shooting.

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Google Camera Update Includes Photo Capture While Shooting Video

google camera iconThe Google Camera was recently unleashed on the Play Store for any phone running KitKat. It provides a consistent and super simple interface for photos and vids no matter what phone you use.

For being so streamlined, it does pack some handy features like PhotoSphere, HDR, exposure control, and panorama modes. Google is now rolling an update which will allow users to take still photos while shooting video.

While shooting a video, just tap the screen and it’ll grab a 2MP screenshot. Super simple.

This isn’t exactly mind blowing on its own, but this update process is what’s exciting. It’s a small update for one app, and users are getting it directly. We aren’t being forced to wait for a full OS update which may or may not be sent down from the carriers.

And for folks curious how the Google Camera app works, we have a full hands on review below!

Google Camera on Google Play

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Google Adds Lane Guidance and Uber Support to Maps!

Google Maps Navigation with Lane GuidanceThis has always been one of my biggest complaints about turn by turn apps in general, and Google Maps specifically. Unless a turn is intermediately following another direction, Maps will only give you one instruction at a time, with little guidance as to which lane you’ll need to be in.

To address that issue, Google is now building Lane Guidance into their turn by turn directions. When you approach a turn or intersection with multiple lanes, the app will try to highlight which lane you should be in, and what direction each lane will travel. A terrifically welcome update to Google’s mapping app.

Google is also improving the offline caching for maps. Going on vacation? You can search a locale, save it offline, and name it for quick reference.

Also added to the navigation options, Google has included support for Uber. After searching for directions, you’ll now have the option to tailor results to Uber, and selecting that will automatically open the Uber app on your phone.

It’s a pretty substantial update for one of the best mobile mapping experiences available, and should be rolling out to all phones over the next couple days.

More info on the Google Maps blog.

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