Sunday, October 26, 2014

TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for October 20 – October 26, 2014

TalkAndroid_Weekly_Recap


Things were a little calmer this week, but there was a lot of cool stuff. Google dropped a huge bomb by releasing “Inbox” which is a new app for reading your Gmail. We’ve had a chance to play around with the Android Lollipop preview, and we love what we see. Sundar Pichai gets another promotion and Amazon’s Fire Phone didn’t set the world on fire. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for what is sure to be another exciting week in the Android world.


Guides


Copying apps from your old phone or tablet to your new phone or tablet with Android Lollipop


How to make sure your Android phone or tablet is backed up on Google’s servers


How to setup Trusted Devices on Android Lollipop to automatically unlock your phone or tablet


How to lock any app on your phone or tablet for guests and kids in Android Lollipop


How to beam files and photos from one phone to another with the new Android Beam in Android Lollipop



Accessories


Pre-orders for Nexus 9 cover and keyboard folio hit Amazon


Moto 360 Wireless Charging Dock now in stock and ready to ship from Google Play


Montblanc introduces premium accessories for the Note 4


Android TV


Nexus Player now available on the Play Store for $99


Developer brings Android TV to Ouya gaming console


Android Wear


[New Android Wear App] Tempo-Motion is another great option for watch faces


Google Fit app gets exposed prior to official launch


Microsoft wants you to use Bing Torque instead of saying “OK Google” on your Android Wear smartwatch


Android Wear now has GPS and offline music support


Latest Google Maps update brings better Android Wear navigation notifications


Apps – New


[New Android Wear App] Tempo-Motion is another great option for watch faces


Google Fit app gets exposed prior to official launch




[APK Download] Android 5.0 Messenger app can be installed on Android 4.4, no root required


PPLNOTIFY sends Android notifications straight to your web browser on another device


Google introduces ‘Inbox’, an alternative to Gmail that works for you


Microsoft Garage launches two Android apps for your lock screen and travels


Apps – Updates




Spotify announces new family plans starting at $14.99 a month


Play Music gets a Material Design makeover in Nexus 4 port


Gmail 5.0 update will support Outlook and Yahoo accounts


Lollipop’s keyboard can now be installed on any Android device without root


Gmail 5.0 will make the stock Email app obsolete by including Exchange support


Google Play Music gets Material Design, benefits from Songza


Shots of Google Calendar material design overhaul surface


Nokia’s HERE Maps now available on all Android devices


Google adds Material Design to Google Drive App


Google Earth for Android gets updated 3D rendering engine


Nova Launcher update brings more Lollipop flavor to your homescreen


Solar eclipse and police activity cards now showing up in Google Now


SwiftKey introduces two new Material Design keyboard skins


Get in the fall spirit with Google Calendar’s new seasonal wallpapers


Google Inbox users can now invite three friends to use the service


Amazon launches App Store in main Android app


Latest Google Maps update brings better Android Wear navigation notifications


Retailers blocking Apple Pay and Google Wallet as they build their own service


TGI Black Friday app gets updated for 2014 deals


Carriers


AT&T to launch Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 October 24th


Famigo coming pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 through AT&T


AT&T to offer Kindle Fire HDX 7″ for just $49.99 with every Fire Phone purchase


MetroPCS offering entry-level Alcatel Onetouch Pop 7 tablet


Rogers activates its LTE-A service in 12 new markets


Sprint now rolling out LG G2 stability update


Sprint doubles data on their low-end shared data plans


T-Mobile launches annual Postseason sale


T-Mobile’s 10GB/$100 Deal Set to End on the 29th


T-Mobile’s HTC One (M8) now receiving Eye Experience update


HTC One (M8) for Verizon now receiving software update with Eye Experience, Android 4.4.4


Samsung to Release Note 4 Developer Edition on Verizon


Sony SmartWatch 3 now available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless


Chrome


Users of Chrome OS and Android 5.0 reporting Easy Unlock feature is operable


Inbox by Gmail shows up in Chrome Web Store


Chromecast


Chromecast users Cast 650 million times and its successor is on the way


Gaming


Rovio takes flight with new RETRY game


Humble Bundle’s spooky Halloween deal is now live


NHL 2K15 hits the Play Store


Google


Were OEMs to blame for Android Silver never coming to fruition?


You can now filter apps in the Play Store by ratings


Google adds USB Security Key support to make their 2-Step Verification more robust


Google publishes guide for switching from iOS to Android


Google introduces ‘Inbox’, an alternative to Gmail that works for you


Firebase, a cloud database company, joins Google’s Cloud Platform team


Google reassigns Sundar Pichai to oversee all of its products


Googler Alan Eustace breaks parachute jump record from 25 miles up


Retailers blocking Apple Pay and Google Wallet as they build their own service


Hardware


LG debuts NUCLUN processor in the G3 Screen, a Korean exclusive with a 5.9-inch screen


Home Automation


Nest thermostats add compatability with third-party home automation products


Phones – Amazon


Amazon takes $170 million hit “primarily related” to the Fire Phone


Phones – HTC


HTC’s Android 5.0 update roadmap leaks


T-Mobile’s HTC One (M8) now receiving Eye Experience update


HTC One (M8) for Verizon now receiving software update with Eye Experience, Android 4.4.4


Phones – Huawei


Huawei hosting contest to launch the Honor 6 in Europe


Phones – LG


LG debuts NUCLUN processor in the G3 Screen, a Korean exclusive with a 5.9-inch screen


LG Liger shows up in benchmarks with mid-range hardware


LG teases a new concept phone that has mood swings


LG G3 now receiving major stability update


Sprint now rolling out LG G2 stability update


Phones – Motorola


Pictures of Droid Turbo’s retail packaging appear online


Phones – Nexus


“Ambient display” appears to be Nexus 6 spin on Moto Display


Google’s Nexus 6 gets compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4


Just how big is the Nexus 6?


Did the Nexus 6 already visit the FCC?


Phones – Oppo


New OPPO teaser hints at second device


Phones – OnePlus


OnePlus pre-order system will go live for 24 hours on October 27th


Phones – Samsung


Samsung launches Galaxy S5 Plus in the Netherlands with Snapdragon 805


Samsung launches budget-friendly Galaxy Core Max in China


Samsung confirms the Galaxy A7 will ship with a Full HD display and 64-bit processor


Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 now available in India


Samsung using Sony’s IMX240 camera sensor for the Galaxy Note 4


Why did Samsung “ditch the stitch” and other design questions answered


Samsung to Release Note 4 Developer Edition on Verizon


Samsung teases Lollipop update for Galaxy Note 4


Galaxy Note 4 destined to be Samsung’s best-selling smartphone yet


Montblanc introduces premium accessories for the Note 4


Galaxy Note Edge to be Launched Thursday in Japan


AT&T to launch Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 October 24th


Samsung Galaxy S 5 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop in December


Phones – ZTE


ZTE officially launches the budget-minded ZTE V5 Max


Project Ara


Google may sell Project Ara modules in a Play Store type marketplace




ROMs


TWRP custom recovery gets support for unlocked 2014 Moto X


Security


Google adds USB Security Key support to make their 2-Step Verification more robust


Set-top boxes


Amazon Fire TV now available in the UK


Smartwatches


LG G Watch gets update that brings new music features


LG G Watch R will be available in the UK starting tomorrow


LG finally announces global release plans for the G Watch R, but still murky


Motorola seeding 4.4W.2 update to Moto 360 with loads of improvements


Moto 360 Wireless Charging Dock now in stock and ready to ship from Google Play


Microsoft wants you to use Bing Torque instead of saying “OK Google” on your Android Wear smartwatch


Next Pebble smartwatch aims to be “more everything,” might feature modular components


Sony SmartWatch 3 now available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless


Tablets


MetroPCS offering entry-level Alcatel Onetouch Pop 7 tablet


AT&T to offer Kindle Fire HDX 7″ for just $49.99 with every Fire Phone purchase


Samsung and Barnes & Noble announce 10.1-inch version of the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook


Pre-orders for Nexus 9 cover and keyboard folio hit Amazon


You can now pre-order the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact for a hefty $499.99


Sony reportedly launching 12-inch tablet in 2015


Updates


HTC’s Android 5.0 update roadmap leaks


Sprint now rolling out LG G2 stability update


LG G Watch gets update that brings new music features


Motorola seeding 4.4W.2 update to Moto 360 with loads of improvements


T-Mobile’s HTC One (M8) now receiving Eye Experience update


HTC One (M8) for Verizon now receiving software update with Eye Experience, Android 4.4.4


LG G3 now receiving major stability update


Samsung teases Lollipop update for Galaxy Note 4


Samsung Galaxy S 5 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop in December


Miscellaneous


Motorola video invites people to join company


Deezer acquires Stitcher to broaden streaming content


Samsung donating phones to help U.N. combat Ebola


Online Companies Using Discriminatory Online Pricing




Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for October 20 – October 26, 2014



TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for October 20 – October 26, 2014

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