AT&T Thanks offers free movie tickets every Tuesday, early access to concert tickets

T-Mobile Tuesdays offer a ton of free stuff to T-Mobile customers, like movie downloads and a Wendy’s Frosty. And now AT&T customers can get thanked every week, too, with AT&T Thanks.

AT&T Thanks just announced its first offer, called Ticket Twosdays, which lets AT&T customers go to a movie every Tuesday and bring a friend with them for free. Ticket Twosdays begins today (it’s Thursday!), and is available AMC Theatres and the Regal Entertainment Group, which both account for over 1,000 theaters and over 13,000 theater screens in the U.S.

Qualified subscribers can get thanked with free movie tickets every Tuesday “while supplies last,” and for as long as the AT&T Thanks program is available. AT&T doesn’t say how long that will be, though. You’ll need to head to http://ift.tt/29fIKFt and enter your phone number to find out if you’re eligible for the promotion. If you are, you’ll get a PIN to enter at movietickets.com for a free movie ticket when you buy one.

Just to reiterate, AT&T Thanks means you’ll need to buy a movie ticket for yourself, and you’ll get a free one for a friend.

That’s not all, though. AT&T Thanks will also be rolling out pre-sale access to concert tickets beginning this fall. AT&T says there’s no sign-in or opt-in required; customers will just have access to buy the tickets early just for being a post-paid customer.


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Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge now available unlocked in the U.S.

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, launched on U.S. carriers a few months ago, and now Samsung is finally bringing unlocked variants to U.S. shores, too.

Samsung officially announced that unlocked versions of both handsets are now available in the U.S. The Galaxy S6 is priced at $669.99, while the Galaxy S7 edge costs $769.99. They can be purchased from Samsung directly, or if you prefer you can order yours from Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Sam’s Club, and Target.

One of the other benefits of going with an unlocked handset is the lack of pre-installed apps from carriers, which is reason enough for some to go with an unlocked handset. The unlocked devices also support LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, and 30, which means the handsets support all four major wireless carriers.

Do you plan on picking up an unlocked Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, or did you already buy one from your carrier?


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HTC is secretly testing a Sense Home launcher for non-HTC Android devices

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About a week ago, we started getting tips of HTC asking its HTC Preview program members to enroll in a new project to test called "GOOGLE_PLAY_SENSE_GP" with two requirements: you have to have a non-HTC Android phone and it has to be running Android 4.4 and above. You could have surmised from the title and requisites that HTC was working on a new Sense launcher for non-HTC phones. And you would have been right.

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HTC is secretly testing a Sense Home launcher for non-HTC Android devices was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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The Play Store Early Access program seems to be rolling out to everybody

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If you're the type of person that has to flash developer previews and sign up for every beta program available, being the first to try new apps is probably also pretty high on your list of things to do. Google has you covered. Announced last month during I/O, the Play Store is launching an "Early Access" program to give people like us a place to find apps that are mostly operational, but not quite ready for prime time.

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The Play Store Early Access program seems to be rolling out to everybody was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Inbox gets Direct Share to frequently emailed contacts on Marshmallow and above [APK Download]

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Messaging and communication apps are some of the best targets of Marshmallow's Direct Share API. Instead of first picking up an app to share something to and then selecting a target contact, if an app has implemented the functionality, your most frequently contacted people within it will appear at the top-level of the Share menu, above the different app icons. It's a faster and more streamlined experience that I personally love and use several times a day on WhatsApp.

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Inbox gets Direct Share to frequently emailed contacts on Marshmallow and above [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides show comment notifications on Android and Web [APK Download]

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When you're working on a shared Google Drive document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you often get lots of comments highlighting specific sections and pointing out things to change, fix, or work on. Previously, those comments would be condensed into an email and that was your only way of knowing someone has something new to say about one of your files.

Now, comment notifications will show up on the web as well as in all three Google apps.

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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides show comment notifications on Android and Web [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Verizon to introduce new features, including carryover data

In the fierce competition between U.S. carriers, every operator has to find a way to stand out. While Verizon has long held its ground by boasting the best network, the company looks to be finding some other ways to boost value for customers. According to a new image that popped up on Reddit, the company is going to add some new features.

Verizon New Features

The first of these is carryover data, allowing customers to roll unused data over into the next month’s data allotment. It’s important to note that each month rolls over into the next month only, so you can’t indefinitely hold a massive data allotment.

Second is Safety Mode, which is essentially a removal of data caps on plans, albeit at throttled speeds once you go past your paid-for allotment. This comes free on XL and XXL plans, but will be an additional $5 per month for customers on other plans.

Finally, Verizon will offer customers the ability to bring their text, data and voice allotments with them to Mexico and Canada. This perk also includes free calling from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada. Like Safety Mode, this feature is free for XL and XXL customers, but will be available to other customers for an additional charge (though the exact price is unclear).

Droid-Life was able to receive confirmation of these changes from at least one source, and Verizon replied by saying that it’s “going to have some fireworks next week.”

Any of these features pique your interest?


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Android Pay just added 115 new banks (and no, not Capital One)

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115 new banks have officially been added to the Android Pay's roster of supported financial institutions. Most of these are regional banks or credit unions, though - I'm not seeing any major national banks on this list (correct me if I missed one, of course). So even if your bank or credit union is a bit obscure, it's quite possible it could appear here - control+F carefully! Without further delay, the list, below.

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Android Pay just added 115 new banks (and no, not Capital One) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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[Update: 6.8] Latest Play Store 6.7 Enables The Beta Testing Features For Some Users [APK Download]

  • Update by Artem: Ever since we posted this article on May 23, the Beta tab has been slowly rolling out to more and more people, and we continue getting tips about it daily.

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Last week, the Play Store rolled up some beta testing features in its version 6.7 update, but they quickly disappeared as Google reverted them back in a server-side change. The company later announced these features at I/O as part of a series of improvements to Google Play that also include lots of developer console changes.

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[Update: 6.8] Latest Play Store 6.7 Enables The Beta Testing Features For Some Users [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google Keep update includes automatically generated search topics [APK download]

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It's update Wednesday, but it's been a bit of a slow one so far. Things are picking up with the Google Keep update. It's rolling out now with a revamped search feature, though. With this update, you'll be able to access automatically generated search topics without typing a thing. No update showing on your devices yet? We've got you covered.

You can access the auto-labels simply by tapping the search button at the top of the screen.

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Google Keep update includes automatically generated search topics [APK download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Verizon announces $249.99 4G LTE Network Extender for better in-home coverage

Carriers always try to expand their coverage when they can, but it’s just not possible to cover every place. Verizon customers who have discovered their network quality isn’t that great inside their home, can get a new in-home network extender to help with that.

It’s called the 4G LTE Network Extender, and it does exactly what the name suggests: it extends Verizon’s 4G LTE network to reach where the regular network may not cover. The device will cover 7,500 square feet, and there can be seven devices connected to it at once. There’s a separate eighth channel reserved for 911 calls. The 4G LTE Network Extender also offers HD Voice coverage for the devices that support it.

Verizon says the 4G LTE Network Extender can “automatically learn its surroundings and adjust its coverage to improve user experience.” If you leave the Network Extender’s range, you should automatically be switched over to Verizon’s standard 4G LTE network, as long as coverage permits.

Verizon’s new 4G LTE Network Extender launches on June 30 for $249.99. For it to work, though, Verizon says you’ll need to have broadband internet service in your home, with speeds at least up to 10Mbps down and 5Mbps up. Verizon recommends internet speeds of 20Mbps down and 10Mbps up for it to work as well as it can.

Do you use a network extender?


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The Uber app will soon tell drivers to drive safer and buy a damn phone mount

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Until such time as Uber can replace human drivers with robots (and it really wants to), it has to deal with people doing stupid things on the road. In an effort to make Uber safer for passengers, the company will start reminding its drivers about safety measures in the Uber app. This program will launch in 11 cities over the coming weeks, and more cities will be added soon.

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The Uber app will soon tell drivers to drive safer and buy a damn phone mount was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Sony's PlayStation Vue Android app is out now

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As Sony promised it would last week, it has released the PlayStation Vue app for Android today, featuring real-live cast support. The app is available on the Play Store now, or via APK Mirror right here. To use Vue, you'll have to be an existing Vue subscriber - the Android app doesn't have any kind of sign-up flow, so if want to start a Vue trial, you'll need to do that through your PlayStation 3 or 4 console, or through the PS Vue webpage.

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Sony's PlayStation Vue Android app is out now was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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New video tips to help news publishers find success on Google Play

Posted by Tamzin Taylor - Strategic Partner Lead, Google Play

Today we have released a three-part video series ‘Tips for your news app on Google Play’, where you can find actionable tips and learn best practices for developing, launching and monetising a high quality news app. The video series accompanies the recently published News Publisher Playbook.

Watch the video series to learn:

  • 10 tips on how to design and develop your News app
  • 10 tips to help you launch your News app and start gaining readers
  • 10 tips to engage your readers and monetize your News app

You can also get the News Publisher Playbook on the Play Store to help you develop a successful news mobile strategy on Android. It includes tips on mobile website optimization, how to create a Google Play Newsstand edition, how to improve your native app, and more.

Give us your feedback

Once you’ve checked out the video series, we’d love to hear your feedback so we can continue to help you find success with and achieve your business objectives. Leave a comment or a thumbs up, and subscribe to the Android Developers YouTube channel!

Also, check out our other videos in in the Tips for Success on Google Play series, including the recent video on 10 tips to build an app for billions of users.

For more best practices to find success on Google Play, get the new Playbook for Developers app.


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NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV update adds support for Netflix in HDR, YouTube 4K 60FPS, and more

For a set-top box, being able to access the highest-quality content is certainly one way to get a leg up on the competition, which is fierce these days. For anyone that owns a SHIELD Android TV box from NVIDIA, an update is on the way that helps to do just that.

NVIDIA officially announced today Software Upgrade 3.2, which brings with it what NVIDIA calls “industry-leading features” to the set-top box. At the top of the list is support for High Dynamic Range, or HDR, content from Netflix. With HDR, viewers get benefits like a wider color gamut, brighter highlights, and even more detail in darker scenes. You’ll need a TV that supports HDR to get the full benefit. Specifically, you’ll need a TV that supports HDR10, the open source format in the fledgling format war. Samsung, Sony, and LG support HDR10 out of the box. Vizio will support HDR10 for some of its M- and P-Series TVs later this year.

The update also includes support for watching YouTube content in 4K at 60 frames per second, as well as 4K support for VUDU. And for the audiophile out there, the SHIELD Android TV also supports Dolby Atmos surround sound pass-through.

Here are the other new additions coming today to the SHIELD Android TV:

Best Universal Search

  • Perform a natural language search for music, movies, TV shows or games and get results from over 60 apps including top new additions: Netflix, VUDU and Spotify.

Media Streaming – At Home and On the Go

  • With PLEX Media Server now built-in, you can stream your personal media collection from SHIELD to mobile devices, even outside the home. Accelerate your media (even from a NAS) with SHIELD’s HD transcode. Learn more here: http://ift.tt/293PUrw

More Top Apps Streaming to Your TV

  • If you’re a sports fan you can now stream all WatchESPN has to offer. Music lovers now have access to Spotify. For news junkies, CNNGo, NPR and ABC News are on the way. Family-friendly programming will get a major boost with WATCH ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney XD, and Nick. Viacom also brings popular shows with MTV and Comedy Central.

Automatically Turn your TV Off

  • Rounding out our HDMI CEC support, SHIELD now automatically turns off your TV when SHIELD sleeps. Enable in Settings > HDMI > HDMI-CEC preferences.

Share SHIELD Folders with a PC

  • Access SHIELD folders from a network PC or Mac and enjoy drag-and-drop file sharing. Enable in Settings > Storage & reset > Access SHIELD folders on PC.

Mount Network Storage

  • Mount a network attached storage device (NAS) to SHIELD to access your complete media collection. Stream this media to mobile devices using the Plex app and SHIELD’s HD hardware transcode. Set up in Settings > Storage & reset > Network storage.

Improved Picture Quality

  • Enable YCbCr 4:4:4 color space for improved video quality on supported TVs. Go to Settings > HDMI > Color space.

The new software should be rolling out beginning today, so keep an eye out. The SHIELD Android TV was recently updated to Android Marshmallow as well, so NVIDIA is certainly keeping the ball rolling when it comes to new software.


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Amazing site lists nearly every 'OK Google' voice command

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Have you ever wondered just how many things 'OK Google' voice commands can do? Wonder no more (or at least wonder less) - a new site called ok-google.io has set about documenting over 150 voice commands for Google on your Android device. Examples include:

  • Open [webpage]
  • Increase/decrease brightness
  • Take a picture
  • Show me my messages
  • What's my next appointment?
  • When is my next alarm?
  • Set the volume to full.

And so on and so forth.

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Amazing site lists nearly every 'OK Google' voice command was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google Maps for Android is finally rolling out multi-waypoint directions

Screenshot_2016-06-29-15-54-21

As we discovered in our teardown of Maps v9.31 beta last week, Google has been working on implementing true multiple waypoint directions in the Maps app for Android. Unfortunately, we couldn't actually get the feature to, well, work. But according to multiple tips we've now received, the feature appears to be going live for end users. Multiple waypoints will allow you to set "stops" along your route, as shown in the hero image and the screenshots below, a very handy feature indeed.

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Google Maps for Android is finally rolling out multi-waypoint directions was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Amazon is discounting unlocked Android phones and loading them with lock screen ads

How would you feel about looking at ads on the lock screen of your phone? What if you could save some money on the price of a new unlocked phone by doing so? That’s what Amazon Prime Exclusive is all about.

The new Prime Exclusive program from Amazon offers new, unlocked Android phones at discounted prices. In exchange for those lower prices, the phones will show you ads on the lock screen and come preloaded with Amazon software, including apps and a widget to display daily deals. If you see an ad on your lock screen that you like, you can tap on it to learn more. If you don’t care for the ad, you can simply unlock your phone like normal to dismiss it.

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The first two phones to be available through Prime Exclusive are the Moto G4 and BLU R1 HD, and they’re both being discounted by $50. That means that the Moto G4 is $149.99 for the 16GB model and $179.99 for the 32GB version, while the BLU R1 HD is $49.99 for the model with 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM or $59.99 for a version with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM.

Both the Moto G4 and BLU R1 HD are available for pre-order today, and they’ll begin shipping on July 12. In order to buy them, though, you will need to be an Amazon Prime subscriber.

amazonprimeexclusiveblur1hdaam

While the idea of having ads on your lock screen may sound crazy to some, Amazon’s Prime Exclusive phones could be a nice option for budget-conscious shoppers. These are brand new, recently-released Android phones that come unlocked out of the box, and the $50 discount that you get with them is a sizable chunk of their total price. And because the ads are on your lock screen, you could end up not even seeing them half the time that you use your phone, as you just quickly swipe to unlock the phone and dismiss the ad.

What do you think of Amazon’s Prime Exclusive phones? Would you deal with ads on your lock screen in exchange for getting $50 off of a new phone?

Via: Amazon
Sources: Moto G4, Blu R1 HD


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Wink Relay control panel adds new features such as Uber and Fitbit monitoring

Wink is a integrated smart home system that allows you to use and automate all your smart home devices all with one app. If you haven’t heard of the Wink system, we’ve been reviewing the system, some of the devices that work with Wink, and how we use them in our homes such as the smart garage door controller and ecobee3 Wi-Fi thermostat with more to come. Today Wink announced that their Wink Relay, a touchscreen control panel and light switch replacement that that’s powered by Android, added a few new nifty features such as Uber, Fitbit, and IFTTT integration.

In my home, I don’t have a Wink Relay so if my smart devices aren’t automated I have to use them through my phone. Most of the time that’s convenient enough for me, but it also could be convenient to be able to access the smart devices from a central hub within my home such as the Wink Relay. The Wink Relay is a smart light switch replacement that also acts as a hub for all your Wink devices. In my initial review of the Wink system, I use a Wink Hub in my home. I believe with this Wink Relay you don’t need a Wink Hub. The Wink Relay acts as a hub and does all the smart device integration for you. You connect it to your Wi-Fi and your smart devices and you can automate and control your smart home from the Relay or from anywhere.

Uber_arrivingOn Tuesday Wink announced some neat new features for the Wink Relay: Third party integration. The Relay now has widgets that can do things such as call an Uber. I just Ubered for the first time a few weeks ago and thoughts the experience was pretty great. If I Ubered on a regular basis, I think it would be fun to call and Uber and be able to monitor to progress on the Wink Relay. In addition to Uber, you can now monitor you Fitbit step goal progress and smart buttons to trigger lights or IFTTT recipes. In addition to the third party integrations, if you have multiple Wink Relays in your home, you can now use them as an intercom which a nice new feature.

Home automation is a passion of mine. I think it’s fun, challenging, add protection to your home and can save you money if you do it right. If you’re on the lookout for smart devices to add to your home the Wink system deserves a look and the Wink Relay with its new updates seems like a great place to start. The Wink Relay is available on Wink.com for $99 or Amazon from 3rd party sellers for more than $99.

Fitbit_on white-cropWhat are you thoughts on the Android powered Wink Relay and its recent updates? Would you like to call an Uber from where your light switch used to be? Do you already have a Wink Relay? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!


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Yahoo releases new Yahoo Sports app with modern Material Design interface

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Yahoo already had a Sports app on the Play Store, which until yesterday enjoyed the brand's signature purple icon and "Yahoo Sports" name. Now, that app has been clearly retired with a grey icon and a switch back to its old Sportacular name. Instead, there's a brand new Yahoo Sports app on the Play Store with an improved purple icon and an entirely redesigned UI.

Say buh-bye to the old black and blue half-Holo half-Material look and hello to a full on white and dark blue interface with differentiated cards, easy to parse information, and a nice focus on visual aids.

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Yahoo releases new Yahoo Sports app with modern Material Design interface was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Netflix introduces a new app icon with a ribbony red N

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After launching quasi-worldwide and implementing lots of small usability improvements for data usage, Netflix is ready to take another big leap forward. Or NNNNNNot. The service is introducing a small branding change in its app icon and across its various social media presences.

Gone is the white icon with the full Netflix logo, and instead there's a new black background and just the letter N on top of it. The N itself now carries the full curvature on its bottom and has a new ribbon effect that doesn't exist in the regular logo.

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Netflix introduces a new app icon with a ribbony red N was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Twitter starts showing a Night Mode toggle on Android

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About a month ago, some Twitter users started spotting a night mode in their Twitter app that transformed the entire interface into a dark blue shade. The change was triggered server-side, meaning it showed up inconsistently across different Twitter beta and alpha versions, but it didn't seem like there was a way to revert it back to a light theme on request.

Now, more users are reporting this dark theme, except Twitter seems to have introduced a specific toggle in the app's drawer for Night mode.

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Twitter starts showing a Night Mode toggle on Android was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google launches new My Activity site, reaffirms Google knows basically everything about you

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Google knows a lot about you - particular about the "you" on the internet. A new site launched today called My Activity lets you get some insight on just what some of that information is - in a readable sense - by showing you your various web, Google product (including Google Android apps), and search activities in a rather pretty card timeline. The site works on both desktop and mobile.

The My Activity site (here) shows all this information, but it also acts a link hub for Google's various data-collecting services you can choose to turn on or off.

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Google launches new My Activity site, reaffirms Google knows basically everything about you was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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If Zootopia and Mortal Kombat had a bastard child, it would be mobile one-on-one fighter Animelee

image (5)I recall with fondness the endless speculative arguments I heard around the elementary school lunch table in the 90s: who would win in a fight between Batman and Wolverine? Goku and Superman? Bill Clinton and Emilio Estevez? (There was always that one weird kid.) Imagine the same arguments happening in a university zoology department, and you might just find the inspiration for Animelee, an old-fashioned one-on-one fighter recently published in the Play Store.

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If Zootopia and Mortal Kombat had a bastard child, it would be mobile one-on-one fighter Animelee was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Mini Review Of The ASUS ROG Strix GL502 Gaming Laptop

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Disclaimer: Yes, I know this site is geared towards Canadians who just happen to be Android enthusiasts but I think this product review can still fit in just fine.

ASUS has been making laptops for as long as I can remember and even their gaming laptops have earned a very large following in the PC gaming world. In 2006, the Taiwanese company unveiled a special branding specifically meant for those into PC gaming and called it Republic of Gamers (ROG). It actually turned out to be a huge success for the company since back then, laptops were extremely inferior to their desktop counterparts when it came to gaming performance.

Now ten years later, ASUS has officially released their newest ROG laptop, called the GL502. Let me tell you the specs now, because on paper, they are outright amazing.

fg (1)

First off, the ASUS ROG Strix GL502 features a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 IPS panel with a matte finish to help prevent annoying glares from various light sources.

Next is Intel’s newest and most powerful mobile Skylake processor, the i7-6700HQ which has a base clock of 2.6 GHz and turbos to about 3.5 GHz depending on the work load. This is complemented by NVIDIA’s last generation Maxwell mobile GPU, the 970M. Additionally, the laptop I received was configured with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD and a 6 cell battery.

In terms of features, it comes with an illuminated chiclet keyboard (which I’ll talk about later), 802.11b/b/n/ac WiFi, gigabit ethernet and Bluetooth 4.0. As for ports, it came with a single 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack, 3 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB-C, 1 HDMI, 1 x mini display port, 1 SD card reader an an AC adapter.

The laptop weighs around 2.2kg, or roughly five pounds, and surprisingly sports a very slim profile similar to what you find on ultrabooks.

First impressions:

After using the laptop for two full weeks, I took the performance of the 6700HQ and the 16GB of RAM for granted. With pretty much every workload, the processor handled it like a champ. With roughly 200 Chrome tabs opened, I saw almost no slowdowns and the responsiveness of the laptop was no different to when nothing was open. I played a couple of games from my Steam library almost regularly and maxed out the graphics settings and while the GTX 970M did get hot, the laptop’s air cooling system made sure it did not reach the thermal threshold.

As for storage, the 1TB hard drive was more than enough for my initial testing and read/write speeds were accpetable for an HDD. My only complaint is the laptop could have largely benefitted from an SSD and it’s too bad my unit did not come with one.

fg

While I mostly used the laptop with my own monitor, mouse and keyboard, I still had the chance to try out ASUS’ scissor switch keyboard. The key presses were a lot more tactile compared to regular rubber dome laptop key switches and I enjoyed typing on it whenever I could. As for the display, the 1920×1080 matte display did its job without any issues or complaints but with a laptop of this calibre, I feel ASUS should have at least provided an option with QHD (2560 x 1440).

Unfortunately, I had a lot of frustrations with the trackpad. I couldn’t believe how it could be so unpolished in terms of scrolling and zooming and the buttons themselves felt very cheap. Not to mention that it was completely useless for gaming and that’s where my trusty Logitech G502 came in handy.

Another major disappointment was ASUS’ preinstalled applications, which these days is better known as bloatware. It was absolutely unacceptable to notice the 6700HQ struggling to open Microsoft Office with applications like ASUS Giftbox, liveupdate, screensaver, McAfee, Webstorage and other annoying stuff running in the background. I could only get a true feel for the laptop’s potential performance after doing a clean install of Windows 10 and uninstalling almost every built in application provided by ASUS. Once that was done, I was very happy.

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Summary:

Pros: i7-6700HQ, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 1080p display, keyboard with LED lighting, GTX 970M, surprisingly good heat management, weight, overall design and build quality.
Cons: Bloatware bloatware bloatware, trackpad, under average battery life, few usb ports, no SSD by default.

All in all, I still enjoyed using and reviewing this laptop and I would be ecstatic if ASUS could really cut down on their preinstalled applications. Once those are removed, the laptop’s performance is mind blowing and can even replace traditional desktop gaming PCs while being suprisingly light and thin and of course, good looking.

You can now purchase the ASUS ROG Strix GL502 from NCIX for $1849.98 although MSRP is $1799.

The post Mini Review Of The ASUS ROG Strix GL502 Gaming Laptop appeared first on Android in Canada Blog.


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Wileyfox introduces the Spark family, powered by Cyanogen OS

Wileyfox likely isn’t a name you’ve heard, but the British start-up is beginning to make a name for itself. The company uses CyanogenOS to power its new family of smartphones, the Spark family. This series includes the Spark, Spark+ and the Spark X, all of which are affordably priced and reasonably specced. Let’s take a look at the base model Spark.

  • 5-inch 720p IPS display
  • 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB of storage plus a microSD card slot
  • 8-megapixel rear camera
  • 8-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 22oomAh battery
  • Dual microSIM card slot
  • Cyanogen OS 13/Android 6.0 Marshmallow

As you can see, the Wileyfox Spark is midrange. But its price might make up for it. Wileyfox has the Spark priced at just £89.99 or €119.99.

The Spark+ doubles the storage and RAM to 16GB and 2GB, respectively. The rear camera is also bumped up to 13-megapixels. The Spark X takes all the specs of the Spark+, but bumps up the display size to 5.5 inches and also boosts the battery capacity to 3000mAh.

Pricing for the Wileyfox Spark+ is set at £114.99 or €149.99. Pricing for the Wileyfox Spark X is set at £129.99 or €169.99. The Wileyfox Spark is now up for pre-order through Amazon, with orders shipping on July 12.


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Humble PC & Android Bundle 14 includes Badland, You Must Build A Boat, Please Don't Touch Anything, and more

2016-06-28 15_50_01-Humble PC & Android Bundle 14 (pay what you want and help charity)

There's a new Humble Bundle that is relevant to our interests! The Humble PC & Android Bundle 14 is now live, and it includes eight games out of the gate with more being added later. Because this is a PC and Android bundle, you get all the included games on both platforms.

This bundle has a slightly more complicated pricing structure than most. You can pay anything to unlock the bottom tier of games, which includes 100000000, Badland, and SPACECOM.

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Humble PC & Android Bundle 14 includes Badland, You Must Build A Boat, Please Don't Touch Anything, and more was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Cerberus anti theft gets fingerprint sensor support, Android N features, and bug fixes in version 3.4

imageCerberus is the go-to third party solution for theft deterrent and recovery on Android. With such a security-focused app, it's surprising that it didn't feature support for Android's native fingerprint sensor API before now. That's changed with version 3.4 of the app, now available in the Play Store. Users on Android 6.0 or later (with compatible hardware, of course) can use a fingerprint scan to authenticate the app.

Other changes in the update are smaller.

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Cerberus anti theft gets fingerprint sensor support, Android N features, and bug fixes in version 3.4 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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More Galaxy Note 7 Specs Leak, Snapdragon 821 With 6GB RAM And USB Type C

note7_typeface

Just a day after we shared news of the Galaxy Note 7 name confirmation, another leak making its way from China has revealed even more about Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone.

gnote7

A user on Weibo has shared some of the basic but important specs for the Galaxy Note 7. First off, the phone will come with a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with the Snapdragon 821 SoC. The S821 is really just a newer and more efficient Snapdragon 820 so there’s really nothing that special there.

Next is the RAM and Samsung will join ASUS and OnePlus in offering a phone with a whopping 6GB of RAM built in. As for internal storage options, they are 64GB/128GB and now 256GB. The camera is going to be the same 12MP rear/5MP front shooter from the Galaxy S7 and so will be the IP68 water and dust resistance. The battery is also going to be quite massive, coming in at 4,000 mAh which will be charged by the USB Type C port.

The phone is going to be launched on August 2nd in New York.

[Weibo / Sammyworld]

The post More Galaxy Note 7 Specs Leak, Snapdragon 821 With 6GB RAM And USB Type C appeared first on Android in Canada Blog.


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Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus now available to pre-order in the U.S.

Back in May, Motorola made the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus official, and now folks in the United States who want to get their hands on one of the new Moto phones can pre-order one of their own.

That’s right, both the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are available on Motorola’s official website and can be customized through Moto Maker to create that device you really want. Prices start at $199 for the 16GB Moto G4, with the highest-end option being the 64GB Moto G4 Plus with 4GB of RAM, which will set your wallet back $299.99.

If you order now, your device should arrive by July 12. If you happen to be a Republic Wireless subscriber, Motorola says both devices will be available for the carrier on July 28.

The differences between the devices are worth noting. The Moto G4 Plus features a fingerprint sensor below the display, while the Moto G4 doesn’t. Additionally, the Moto G4 Plus boasts a 16-megapixel camera on the back, while the Moto G4 features a 13-megapixel shooter. And lastly, the Moto G4 Plus with 64GB of built-in storage offers up 4GB of RAM, while the Moto G4 tops out at 2GB of RAM.

Do you plan on picking either model up?


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Amazon Page Flip lets you skim an ebook without losing your place

2016-06-28 13_41_05-Explore Kindle with Page Flip - YouTube

There are some things you can do with a dead tree book that you can't do with the Kindle app. For example, get a paper cut or flip quickly between two pages. Actually, Amazon has figured out how to make the app do one of those things. Don't fret, your fingers are safe; it's the second one. Amazon's new Page Flip feature lets you jump to a different page while reading, then go back to your previous location.

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Amazon Page Flip lets you skim an ebook without losing your place was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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[Evernope] Price increase coming to Evernote plans, free plan now limited to 2 devices only

Web-Evernote-Tutorial

Evernote has announced several changes to its plan structure today that will most likely upset many long-time users. The cost of Plus and Premium plans will be going up, and the free Basic plan is getting much less useful with active device limits. When there are so many other options for note taking apps, this is going to be a hard sell.

Evernote has three tiers; Basic, Plus, and Premium. The most expensive Premium plan is going from $49.99 per year to $69.99 per year (monthly $5.99 to $7.99).

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[Evernope] Price increase coming to Evernote plans, free plan now limited to 2 devices only was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Android Pay is now available in Singapore

Google went to go all-in with mobile payments when it launched Android Pay in the United States near the end of 2015. Since then, Android Pay has gained support from more U.S. banks and credit unions, but its international rollout is taking a more measured approach.

Android Pay officially launched in the United Kingdom last month, and now it’s rolling out in another country: Singapore. As of this writing, Android Pay is is available to use at any checkout spot in Singapore that accepts contactless payments. Singapore is the first country in Asia to support Android Pay, and we hope that its adoption in the region will expand quickly.

Android users in Singapore will need to have an Android handset that’s running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a handset that supports NFC to use Android Pay. Just download the Android Pay app from the Play Store, then add your credit or debit cards that you’d like to use.

Android Pay is now available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Google has confirmed that Android Pay is headed to Australia next, but there’s no firm launch date just yet.


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Latest Android update for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel brings IRM support, home screen shortcuts to files, and Word can now open TXT files

Screenshot__Jun_28__2016_8_04_19_AM_

Microsoft continues to hammer away at its Android offerings, this time with monthly updates to its office suite. There's no earth-shaking changes here, but as usual regular users are going to appreciate these. The most broadly useful is the new ability to put shortcuts to Office files on your home screen, much like on your desktop computers. For the business types, each of the three apps can now open IRM-protected files.

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Latest Android update for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel brings IRM support, home screen shortcuts to files, and Word can now open TXT files was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google Fit v1.57 rolls out with a major visual redesign, improved goals, and a configurable widget [APK Download]

fit

It's been a long time since we last saw an update to Google Fit, but after some subtle hints during the Android Wear presentations during Google I/O, it was fairly obvious something big was in the works. An update to v1.57 just started rolling out and it may just be the start of a whole new Fit. There are huge changes to the look and at least a few changes to features.

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Google Fit v1.57 rolls out with a major visual redesign, improved goals, and a configurable widget [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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29 new and notable (and 1 WTF) Android apps and live wallpapers from the last 2 weeks (6/14/16 - 6/27/16)

roundup_icon_largeWelcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured App

Expense IQ

This week's roundup is brought to you by Expense IQ from HandyApps.

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29 new and notable (and 1 WTF) Android apps and live wallpapers from the last 2 weeks (6/14/16 - 6/27/16) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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T-Mobile updates Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge to Marshmallow

T-Mobile is updating both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge to Marshmallow today! The two devices are almost two years old at this point, but T-Mobile and Samsung are bringing them to the latest version of Android.

Marshmallow includes features like Doze mode for improved battery life, customizable app permissions for better security, Google Now on Tap, better volume controls, and a lot of tweaks and improvements for better performance and smoothness.

Both devices’ updates are over 1.5GB, so be sure to use Wi-Fi to download them.

Source: T-Mobile (2)


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Android changes for NDK developers

Posted by Dmitry Malykhanov, Developer Advocate

Related to other improvements to the Android platform, the dynamic linker in Android M and N has stricter requirements for writing clean, cross-platform compatible native code in order to load. It is necessary that an application’s native code follows the rules and recommendations in order to ensure a smooth transition to recent Android releases.

Below we outline in detail each individual change related to native code loading, the consequences and steps you can take to avoid issues.

Required tools: there is an <arch>-linux-android-readelf binary (e.g. arm-linux-androideabi-readelf or i686-linux-android-readelf) for each architecture in the NDK (under toolchains/), but you can use readelf for any architecture, as we will be doing basic inspection only. On Linux you need to have the “binutils” package installed for readelf, and “pax-utils” for scanelf.

Private API (Enforced since API 24)

Native libraries must use only public API, and must not link against non-NDK platform libraries. Starting with API 24 this rule is enforced and applications are no longer able to load non-NDK platform libraries. The rule is enforced by the dynamic linker, so non-public libraries are not accessible regardless of the way code tries to load them: System.loadLibrary(...), DT_NEEDED entries, and direct calls to dlopen(...) will fail in exactly the same way.

Users should have a consistent app experience across updates, and developers shouldn’t have to make emergency app updates to handle platform changes. For that reason, we recommend against using private C/C++ symbols. Private symbols aren’t tested as part of the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) that all Android devices must pass. They may not exist, or they may behave differently. This makes apps that use them more likely to fail on specific devices, or on future releases --- as many developers found when Android 6.0 Marshmallow switched from OpenSSL to BoringSSL.

In order to reduce the user impact of this transition, we’ve identified a set of libraries that see significant use from Google Play’s most-installed apps, and that are feasible for us to support in the short term (including libandroid_runtime.so, libcutils.so, libcrypto.so, and libssl.so). In order to give you more time to transition, we will temporarily support these libraries; so if you see a warning that means your code will not work in a future release -- please fix it now!

$ readelf --dynamic libBroken.so | grep NEEDED
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libnativehelper.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libutils.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libstagefright_foundation.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libmedia_jni.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [liblog.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libdl.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libz.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libstdc++.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libm.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libc.so]

Potential problems: starting from API 24 the dynamic linker will not load private libraries, preventing the application from loading.

Resolution: rewrite your native code to rely only on public API. As a short term workaround, platform libraries without complex dependencies (libcutils.so) can be copied to the project. As a long term solution the relevant code must be copied to the project tree. SSL/Media/JNI internal/binder APIs should not be accessed from the native code. When necessary, native code should call appropriate public Java API methods.

A complete list of public libraries is available within the NDK, under platforms/android-API/usr/lib.

Note: SSL/crypto is a special case, applications must NOT use platform libcrypto and libssl libraries directly, even on older platforms. All applications should use GMS Security Provider to ensure they are protected from known vulnerabilities.

Missing Section Headers (Enforced since API 24)

Each ELF file has additional information contained in the section headers. These headers must be present now, because the dynamic linker uses them for sanity checking. Some developers try to strip them in an attempt to obfuscate the binary and prevent reverse engineering. (This doesn’t really help because it is possible to reconstruct the stripped information using widely-available tools.)

$ readelf --header libBroken.so | grep 'section headers'
  Start of section headers:          0 (bytes into file)
  Size of section headers:           0 (bytes)
  Number of section headers:         0
$

Resolution: remove the extra steps from your build that strip section headers.

Text Relocations (Enforced since API 23)

Starting with API 23, shared objects must not contain text relocations. That is, the code must be loaded as is and must not be modified. Such an approach reduces load time and improves security.

The usual reason for text relocations is non-position independent hand-written assembler. This is not common. Use the scanelf tool as described in our documentation for further diagnostics:

$ scanelf -qT libTextRel.so
  libTextRel.so: (memory/data?) [0x15E0E2] in (optimized out: previous simd_broken_op1) [0x15E0E0]
  libTextRel.so: (memory/data?) [0x15E3B2] in (optimized out: previous simd_broken_op2) [0x15E3B0]
[skipped the rest]

If you have no scanelf tool available, it is possible to do a basic check with readelf instead, look for either a TEXTREL entry or the TEXTREL flag. Either alone is sufficient. (The value corresponding to the TEXTREL entry is irrelevant and typically 0 --- simply the presence of the TEXTREL entry declares that the .so contains text relocations). This example has both indicators present:

$ readelf --dynamic libTextRel.so | grep TEXTREL
 0x00000016 (TEXTREL)                    0x0
 0x0000001e (FLAGS)                      SYMBOLIC TEXTREL BIND_NOW
$

Note: it is technically possible to have a shared object with the TEXTREL entry/flag but without any actual text relocations. This doesn’t happen with the NDK, but if you’re generating ELF files yourself make sure you’re not generating ELF files that claim to have text relocations, because the Android dynamic linker trusts the entry/flag.

Potential problems: Relocations enforce code pages being writable, and wastefully increase the number of dirty pages in memory. The dynamic linker has issued warnings about text relocations since Android K (API 19), but on API 23 and above it refuses to load code with text relocations.

Resolution: rewrite assembler to be position independent to ensure no text relocations are necessary. Check the Gentoo documentation for cookbook recipes.

Invalid DT_NEEDED Entries (Enforced since API 23)

While library dependencies (DT_NEEDED entries in the ELF headers) can be absolute paths, that doesn’t make sense on Android because you have no control over where your library will be installed by the system. A DT_NEEDED entry should be the same as the needed library’s SONAME, leaving the business of finding the library at runtime to the dynamic linker.

Before API 23, Android’s dynamic linker ignored the full path, and used only the basename (the part after the last ‘/’) when looking up the required libraries. Since API 23 the runtime linker will honor the DT_NEEDED exactly and so it won’t be able to load the library if it is not present in that exact location on the device.

Even worse, some build systems have bugs that cause them to insert DT_NEEDED entries that point to a file on the build host, something that cannot be found on the device.

$ readelf --dynamic libSample.so | grep NEEDED
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libm.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libc.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library: [libdl.so]
 0x00000001 (NEEDED)                     Shared library:
[C:\Users\build\Android\ci\jni\libBroken.so]
$

Potential problems: before API 23 the DT_NEEDED entry’s basename was used, but starting from API 23 the Android runtime will try to load the library using the path specified, and that path won’t exist on the device. There are broken third-party toolchains/build systems that use a path on a build host instead of the SONAME.

Resolution: make sure all required libraries are referenced by SONAME only. It is better to let the runtime linker to find and load those libraries as the location may change from device to device.

Missing SONAME (Used since API 23)

Each ELF shared object (“native library”) must have a SONAME (Shared Object Name) attribute. The NDK toolchain adds this attribute by default, so its absence indicates either a misconfigured alternative toolchain or a misconfiguration in your build system. A missing SONAME may lead to runtime issues such as the wrong library being loaded: the filename is used instead when this attribute is missing.

$ readelf --dynamic libWithSoName.so | grep SONAME
 0x0000000e (SONAME)                     Library soname: [libWithSoName.so]
$

Potential problems: namespace conflicts may lead to the wrong library being loaded at runtime, which leads to crashes when required symbols are not found, or you try to use an ABI-incompatible library that isn’t the library you were expecting.

Resolution: the current NDK generates the correct SONAME by default. Ensure you’re using the current NDK and that you haven’t configured your build system to generate incorrect SONAME entries (using the -soname linker option).

Please remember, clean, cross-platform code built with a current NDK should have no issues on Android N. We encourage you to revise your native code build so that it produces correct binaries.


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Project Fi app officially updated with U.S. Cellular support

Google announced earlier this month that U.S. Cellular was becoming a partner for Project Fi, and now Fi users will be able to experience the changes. The Project Fi app has been updated in the Play Store, and it features U.S. Cellular support.

U.S. Cellular is the third carrier to partner with Project Fi, the other two being Sprint and T-Mobile. With a third carrier, Fi coverage should be even better. If you’re on Project Fi, make sure to head to the Play Store and update the your app to ensure that you’re able to connect to U.S. Cellular. Post a comment if you see improved connection quality!


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Leaks support Galaxy Note 7 name, iris scanner, and some specs

The latest leaked info from Evan Blass has corroborated the rumored name for the next Note device. Samsung will be skipping the Galaxy Note 6 in favor of the Galaxy Note 7, a name that lines up with its current flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

This change has been long-rumored, so it doesn’t come unexpectedly. Some Note 7 specs have also been leaked, such as the 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, 64GB of memory with a microSD slot, a 12MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, IP68 water resistance, and three colors (black, silver, and blue).

And of course, one of the biggest rumors is the inclusion of the iris scanner. This has also been corroborated by Blass.

While this is big info, it’s still not official. We’ll have to wait until the device is announced in August to hear the confirmed specs. But based on the rumors so far, it’s shaping up to be a great device. What do you guys think? Leave a comment!

Source: @evleaks (1)(2)(3)


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Android Pay arrives in Asia, starting with Singapore

Singapore

Android Pay turns your phone into a Google-powered wallet. Tap it against a terminal, transfer money, and walk away feeling like you're living in the future. Android Pay has been making folks feel this way since September, depending on where you live.

If said place is in Asia, you've been out of luck. That's about to change. Android Pay has made its way to Singapore, its first stop in Asia.

At launch, Android Pay works with MasterCard and Visa cards from BS, OCBC Bank, POSB, Standard Chartered Bank, and UOB.

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Android Pay arrives in Asia, starting with Singapore was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google puts Expeditions, the VR app designed for classrooms, in the Play Store after long trial period

expeditions

Google first talked about Expeditions way back at I/O 2015, after which they began trying it out with a large number of classrooms worldwide. Using the magic of VR, Expeditions would allow educators to take their students on realistic escapades into far-off lands. At long last, Google is making the app available to anyone who wants it.

Using a viewer like Google Cardboard and a smartphone, people can go on (self-)guided tours of places like Machu Picchu, Antarctica, the International Space Station, and even the now-defunct studio of The Colbert Report.

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Google puts Expeditions, the VR app designed for classrooms, in the Play Store after long trial period was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Uber drivers can stream Pandora Premium free for the next six months

Uber

What's better than listening to music on the ride home? Listening to commercial-free music. The next time you hop in an Uber car, your driver hopefully won't subject you to ads. Drivers can now stream Pandora Premium for the next six months, free.

Drivers can get ad-free streaming by connecting a phone via Bluetooth or AUX and tapping "Play Music" in the Uber Partner app. That's "Play Music" as in play music, not Play Music.

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Uber drivers can stream Pandora Premium free for the next six months was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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HP announces budget Chromebook 11 G5

HP has announced another Chromebook to add to its lineup. The Chromebook 11 G5 will sit under the existing HP Chromebook 13 as a budget option, starting at a low $189.

The device features a smaller body, slimmer bezels and weighs in at just 2.51 pounds. It also has an Intel Celeron N3060 processor and an optional HD IPS touchscreen, though the touchscreen option brings the battery life estimate down from 12.5 hours to 11 hours.

If you need a barebones laptop to do work or schooling from, a Chromebook may be a great option. And with the Google Play Store coming to Chrome OS later this year, the devices will get even more useful. The laptop should be available in July and come to retail stores in October. Hit the source link for more info!


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Android Mobile Vision restores operation and adds Text API

Posted by Michael Sipe, Product Manager

As an important framework for finding objects in photos and video, Mobile Vision operation for Android devices is restored in Google Play Services v9.2.

This new version of Google Play Services fixes a download issue in Google Play Services v.9.0 that caused a service outage. See release notes for details.

We’re also pleased to announce the Text API, a new component for Android Mobile Vision.

The Text API’s optical character recognition technology reads Latin character text (e.g. English, Spanish, German, French, etc.) in photos and returns the text as well as the organizational structure (paragraphs, lines, words). Mobile apps can now:

  • Organize photos that contain text
  • Automate tedious data entry for credit cards, receipts, and business cards
  • Translate documents (along with the Cloud Translate API)
  • Keep track of real objects, such as reading the numbers on subway trains
  • Provide accessibility features

If you want to get started quickly, you can try our codelab which will get Android developers reading text with their apps in under an hour.

Like the Mobile Vision Face and Barcode components, the Text API runs on-device and is suitable for real-time applications. For more information, check out the Mobile Vision Developer site.


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