Google Prepping New Features for Google+

Among all the social networks out there Google+ seems to be one of the least popular. Well, it seems the search giant is now looking for ways to revitalize the service, as it has started recruiting people to test out new features and offer feedback.

If you want to make sure your voice will be heard, you can try and sign up for the beta program. Go ahead and fill out the form complete with your profile link, info about the ways you use G+ and how long you’ve been a part of the community.

If accepted you’ll be given early access to new Google+ features and will be able to interact with the product team at Google and provide them with your honest opinion.

Google+’s fate has been hanging in the air for a while now, but it seems the Alphabet-owned company is finally ready to pump a new breath of life into this stagnating service.

There might not be many diehard Google+ fans out there, but nevertheless, the search giant hopes to be able to identify them and employ their help to revive its social network.

What new features would you like to see get added to Google+ if any?

[Google+]

The post Google Prepping New Features for Google+ appeared first on Android in Canada Blog.

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Get an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ for $150 off

Looking for a deal on an unlocked Galaxy S8 instead of buying a phone from a carrier? We’ve got you covered.

Samsung’s unlocked Galaxy S8 and S8+ are now on sale. The Galaxy S8 is available for $574.99 at Amazon and Samsung, while the Galaxy S8+ is $674.99 at Amazon and Samsung.

Because these Galaxy S8 and S8+ models come unlocked, they don’t have any carrier bloatware preloaded. Plus, they support all four major U.S. carriers, which means that you can use them on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon and take your phone with you if you switch carriers in the future.

There’s no telling how long these sales will last, so if you’re thinking about taking advantage of these unlocked Galaxy S8 deals, you may want to act soon.

Sources: Galaxy S8 at Amazon and Samsung, Galaxy S8+ at Amazon and Samsung

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Android and Me 1:36 AM No comments

Unlocked BlackBerry KEYone Lands in Canada, Already Sold-Out

So far you could purchase the BlackBerry KEYone from carrier partners in Canada, but this week we bring you some additional news on the availability of the phone.

The unlocked version of the BlackBerry KEYone has landed in the country. But it’s not available through BlackBerry itself by Walmart. Well, actually it used to be available because the initial stock is already gone.

The phone with 32GB of internal storage which is listed for a price of $729 CAD is out of stock. Hopefully, the stock will be replenished soon, as it seems the gadget is in great demand.

In case you forgot, let us remind you the BlackBerry KEYone arrives with a 4.5-inch IPS touchscreen with Gorilla Glass 4 protection. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor that works in concert with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Thanks to its 12-megapixel main camera with wide aperture lens customers will be able to capture sharp, crisp photos in any light – well, at least in theory. The device also includes an 8-megapixel selfie snapper.

Of course, the QWERTY Smart Keyboard is also on board bringing 52 programmable shortcuts which can transform each letter key into shortcuts to your favorite apps.

[Walmart]

The post Unlocked BlackBerry KEYone Lands in Canada, Already Sold-Out appeared first on Android in Canada Blog.

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What’s new for shortcuts and widgets in Android O

Posted by Gloria Liou, Associate Product Manager Intern

Why use shortcuts and widgets?

One of our favorite features in Android O is the ability to pin shortcuts and widgets for your app onto the launcher through deep linking.


Shortcuts let users quickly start a specific task, while widgets give users instant access to specific actions and information from your app. Users want to get things done, and get things done fast - shortcuts and widgets are a way to help them and to increase user engagement with your content.

To pin a shortcut or widget, users long press your app's icon for options and drag and drop the selected item to a location of their choice.

Dynamic / static shortcuts	Pinned shortcuts

Adding shortcuts and widgets from within your app

The API has a new flow for adding shortcuts and widgets from within your app. The new method uses a modal dialog, deprecating the old method of using a broadcast, which will not work on O devices.

That's not all. We've made improvements to the user interface and experience. In the old experience, there was no app icon on the shortcut, so users had no idea which app the shortcut was from. Marking shortcuts with the app icon provides better branding while protecting users from potential malware.

Old shortcut	New shortcut

There is also a new option to add a specialized activity to help users create shortcuts. The activity is complete with custom options and confirmation.

With these new additions and improvements, users will be more likely to use your shortcuts and widgets, leading to more meaningful and impactful engagement with your app and happier, more productive users.

To learn more, head over to the shortcuts and widgets page on the Android Developers website.

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Android Developers Blog 12:04 AM No comments

Head into the weekend with 21 temporarily free and 50 on-sale apps

Welcome to the final Friday for July. August is just around the corner, which means that a bunch of us will be heading back to school (I took the summer off for the first time since I started my degree). Today brings us a heftier list than usual, but there are some great nuggets here. I will bold them for your convenience. You're welcome.

Free

Apps

1. Weather Route $0.99 -> Free; 7 hours left
2. Fella for Facebook (Beta) $0.99 -> Free; 6 days left
3. Guide2Sarajevo - Sarajevo Audio Travel Guide $3.99 -> Free; 6 days left
4. Learn Chinese In 20 Days $1.49 -> Free; 6 days left

Games

1. LASERBREAK Pro $0.99 -> Free; 3 days left
2. VR Earth Attack $0.99 -> Free; 3 days left
3. Horse Racing & Betting Game (Premium) $0.99 -> Free; 6 days left
4. Three Towers: The Puzzle Game (Premium) $0.99 -> Free; 7 days left

Icon packs & customization

1. AMOLED mnml KLWP $0.99 -> Free; 7 hours left
2. Cartoon City 3D live wallpaper $0.99 -> Free; 1 day left
3. FineArtPaper - grand wallpaper $0.99 -> Free; 1 day left
4. Africa 3D Pro Live Wallpaper $0.99 -> Free; 2 days left
5. Materik - material icon pack $0.99 -> Free; 2 days left
6. SL Theme Dera Pink $0.99 -> Free; 2 days left
7. Ultra Icon Pack $1.49 -> Free; 2 days left
8. Red Platin HD Icon Pack $2.99 -> Free; 5 days left
9. Love In Silhouette 3D LWP $0.99 -> Free; 6 days left
10. Mashup Dance Party 3D LWP $0.99 -> Free; 6 days left
11. Thanksgiving Animated Clock 3D $0.99 -> Free; 6 days left
12. UX Experience S8 - Icon Pack $0.99 -> Free; 7 days left

Sale

Apps

1. Speaking Alphabet (Russian) $1.99 -> $0.99; 7 hours left
2. MaskApp - Photomontage Premium $3.49 -> $0.99; 2 days left
3. Stock Exchange $1.99 -> $0.99; 5 days left
4. Be Stronger $1.99 -> $0.99; 6 days left
5. NDS Boy!

Read More

Head into the weekend with 21 temporarily free and 50 on-sale apps was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , Tablets 11:48 PM No comments

T-Mobile offers buy one, get one deal for Samsung Galaxy S8 again

T-Mobile and Samsung are no strangers to offering some pretty great deals for Galaxy S8 and S8+, and so it’s not a surprise to see yet another buy one, get one deal being offered.

Today T-Mobile is relaunching its BOGO deal for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. To be eligible, you’ll need to buy both phones on T-Mobile’s equipment installment plan and you’ll need to sign up or at least one new line on either the T-Mobile One or Simple Choice Unlimited plans. After that, you’ll go to the T-Mobile Promotions Center website to enter the code 17GS8SAMBOGO.

Once you follow those steps, the Un-carrier will send you a prepaid MasterCard card that will cover the cost of that second phone you picked up. So if you went with a Galaxy S8, you’ll get a $750 card. If you opt for the Galaxy S8+, you’ll get a card that has $800 on it.

There’s a new line of service requirement this time around, which may or may not be a deal breaker. However, if you’re in the market for a new device, and can use a second one for whatever reason, this might be the right deal for you.

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Android and Me 11:36 PM No comments

Pokémon Go Fest attendees file lawsuit against Niantic

Niantic's inability to make Pokémon Go work properly is becoming legend. Basically, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And there was a lot of wrong at the high-profile Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago last weekend. It was such a mess that a few dozen players have filed a class action lawsuit against Niantic, alleging false advertising.

The plaintiffs are demanding Niantic compensate them for travel to the festival, which was an unmitigated disaster.

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Pokémon Go Fest attendees file lawsuit against Niantic was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , Tablets 11:16 PM No comments

Chrome on Android O will give each website its own notification channel

While this isn't live now in any version of Chrome from stable to Canary, work is underway to improve the way notifications through the app that originate from websites are handled on Android O by giving them individual channels.

Currently, with all Chrome versions (59 stable to 62 Canary), the app offers 5 different notification channels: Browser, Downloads, Incognito, Media, and Sites. These let you assign different importance levels and choose how each type of notification is handled by the system.

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Chrome on Android O will give each website its own notification channel was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , Tablets 9:43 PM No comments