February 2016 | Android Match

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PSA: WhatsApp Adds Link Copying, Shared Link History Tab, And Granular Control Over Chat Clearing

Between the multiple beta and release versions, WhatsApp goes through so many iterations that we sometimes miss a few features here and there. We often get tips about additions or changes to the app, but in certain instances we can't exactly pinpoint when they were implemented. That is unless we went back and reinstalled every version of the app to find the one that triggered it, which we'll all agree is an unnecessary waste of time.

PSA: WhatsApp Adds Link Copying, Shared Link History Tab, And Granular Control Over Chat Clearing was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 11:43 PM No comments

Google teases us by showing off Android without an app drawer

If you’re concerned that Google is about to kill Android’s app drawer, look away now. The beloved feature, which has been baked into Android since its inception, is nowhere to be seen in a new video released to promote Google Maps. Earlier this month, one rumor claimed that none of the Android N builds Google is currently

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The post Google teases us by showing off Android without an app drawer appeared first on Cult of Android.

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Cult of Android 11:17 PM No comments

You can now pre-order the HTC Vive for $799

HTC is now accepting pre-orders for the HTC Vive. For $799, you get the Vive head-mounted display, two motion controllers, two laser tracking base stations, link box and a pair of earbuds in addition to three VR titles (Tilt Brush by Google, Fantastic Contraption and Job Simulator). The price does not include shipping or taxes. Those pre-ordering the HTC Vive in Europe or the UK will have to shell out €899 and £689, respectively, but those prices do include local VAT charges.

It may not be directly related to Android, but the Vive is a critical new product for HTC and will likely shape the future of VR development over the next few years. If the HTC Vive is a commercial success, it will be the first product in HTC’s portfolio that is not tied to a smartphone is some way.

Let us know in the comments if you’re planning on buying the HTC Vive.

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Android and Me 10:47 PM No comments

Create Time-stamped Multimedia Notes on Your Android Device

Mic Note is a free Android app that allows you to create voice recordings, text notes, and image-based notes on one concise notebook page. The notes that you record with your voice can be time-stamped by clicking on your Mic Note note page while you’re recording. You can also take notes without recording any audio. All notes support inclusion of images and links. The best part of Mic Note is that you can sync all of your notes to your Google Drive or Dropbox account.

Mic Note could be a good tool for students who want or need to record a teacher giving a short presentation. Students could let the recorder run while they type their own notes about what the teacher is saying to the class. And because Mic Note supports pictures, students could insert images of slides and or diagrams that their teachers display.

Mic Note also has potential to be a good tool for students who are conducting interviews as they can write time-stamped notes while recording.

Parts of this post originally appeared on one of my other blogs, FreeTech4Teachers.com.

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Android 4 Schools 10:03 PM No comments

14.4 million people set to buy the Xiaomi Mi 5 tomorrow

With less than 24 hours to go before the Xiaomi Mi 5 goes on sale, the company has announced that more than 14.4 million people have already registered for the opportunity to purchase the phone when it goes on sale tomorrow morning in China. While the number is staggering, there’s no guarantee that all 14 million people will actually fork over their hard earned cash to buy the phone.

Priced at RMB 1999 ($306 USD), the base level Mi 5 will have a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 820, 32GB of storage, a glass back, and 3GB of RAM. The RMB 2299 ($352 USD) tier will have a 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820, 64GB of storage, and 3GB of RAM. The RMB 2699 ($413 USD) tier is the Pro model, offering a 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 3D ceramic back.

The phone itself may not look as appealing as Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge, but it’s definitely worth considering since it’s only half the price of what Samsung will be asking for its flagship smartphone. Samsung and LG has the advantage of being available in North America and Europe, but Xiaomi has been hinting that its 2016 flagship may make an appearance outside Asian markets sometime this year.

Would you consider buying the Xiaomi Mi 5 if it were to go on sale in Europe or the US?

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Android and Me 9:32 PM No comments

NBC’s Android app gains Chromecast support

After years of sitting around and twiddling our thumbs, the team behind the NBC app for Android have finally released an update that’s actually useful. That’s right, the latest update to the NBC app finally integrates Chromecast support. The app itself isn’t much better than previous iterations, but at least you now have the option of tapping the Chromecast icon and enjoying your favorite NBC shows on your Chromecast-connected flat screen TV.

If you have already received an update notification for the NBC app, we recommend uninstalling and reinstalling the app through Google Play so that you can start casting NBC shows as soon as possible. What mainstream media app do you hope will get Chromecast support next?

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Android and Me 9:32 PM No comments

The Official NBC Android App Now Supports Chromecast Video Streaming

The adoption of Chromecast as a de facto streaming standard was rapid, helped in no small part by the fact that it was the cheapest streaming gadget on the market which was immediately compatible with both major mobile phone systems. But not everyone leaps to support new tech, and old media giants like the National Broadcasting Company have never been accused of being nimble. So it took NBC the better part of three years to support Google's streaming standard, so what - it's not like they're a multi-million dollar entertainment company backed by an international supercorp.

The Official NBC Android App Now Supports Chromecast Video Streaming was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 5:28 PM No comments

Inbox v1.18 Hints At Convenient Shortcut For Sharing Files From Drive [APK Teardown]

Inbox is all about convenience and efficiency. Every couple of updates brings some kind of feature that provides contextually relevant information or automates some action so it becomes fairly painless. The latest Inbox update to v1.18 contains some details that betray yet another one of these shortcuts: a direct method for modifying the sharing options of a file in Google Drive.

Disclaimer: Teardowns are based on evidence found inside of apks (application packages) and are necessarily speculative and usually based on incomplete information.

Inbox v1.18 Hints At Convenient Shortcut For Sharing Files From Drive [APK Teardown] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 6:26 AM No comments

[Bonus Round] Evo Explores, Patchwork, Sinless: Remastered, Cyber Breaker, Retro Shot, Colonial Conquest, And OlliOlli2

nexusae0_bonusicon_thumb Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a Monument Valley-style puzzle game, a two-player board game, a cyberpunk point-and-click adventure, two stylized "retro" games, a Risk-style strategy title, and a SHIELD-only extreme sports sequel.

[Bonus Round] Evo Explores, Patchwork, Sinless: Remastered, Cyber Breaker, Retro Shot, Colonial Conquest, And OlliOlli2 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 10:56 AM No comments

Google Play Games Logo Appears In Play Store Listings To Indicate Supported Games

The adoption of Google's Play Games collection of APIs and tools has been rapid, and very welcome among Android gamers - it's one of the first things that gets requested when a new title on the Play Store omits it. Now it's a little easier to tell which games support Play Games tools and which ones don't, without having to download them first. Users, including those of us here at Android Police, are starting to see a Play Games logo appear prominently in the Play Store app description of those apps that support the system.

Google Play Games Logo Appears In Play Store Listings To Indicate Supported Games was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 1:26 AM No comments

Google App v5.10 Adds Option To Open Links In Chrome Custom Tabs

The Google App's version 5.10 update rolled out to the beta channel yesterday with a new waiting animation, but one change that was lurking behind is the option to open links from search results and Now cards in Chrome Custom Tabs instead of redirecting to the full Chrome browser (or your other default browser).

The option was first discovered by Cody in the APK teardown of version 5.5, but it appears to have just been activated now in the app.

Google App v5.10 Adds Option To Open Links In Chrome Custom Tabs was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Android Police - Android News , Apps , Games , Phones , Tablets » Apps/Games 10:26 PM No comments

Google is looking to build a Chromecast TV

So far, Google hasn’t had much luck infiltrating the living room. Android TV was a huge bust, making the Chromecast Google’s biggest success when it comes to television so far. It looks like Google’s planning on doubling-down on Chromecast. A new report suggests that the search giant is looking to bake the Chromecast’s streaming functionalities