There may not be an officially sanctioned API on Android Wear quite yet, but that’s not stopping enterprising developers from making watch faces anyway. A few of these developers have chosen to release watch faces as individual apps on Google Play, but others have gone the “bundle” route, packaging a large number of watch faces into a single app. In terms of sheer selection, few come close to Wear Face Collection. (more…)
Verizon’s Targeted Advertising “Smart Rewards” Program Going Nationwide on July 24
The day when Verizon discounts postpaid pricing may also be the day in which pigs take to the skies, but the carrier is apparently willing to offer some form of reward for your … continued devotion. This morning, Big Red announced that Verizon Smart Rewards, a program which rewards subscribers who take advantage of select services with discounts on merchandise, dining, and travel is going nationwide beginning July 24.
That sounds innocuous enough, but in order to take full advantage, you will need to enroll in the carrier’s latest targeted advertising program, Verizon Selects. (more…)
Samsung Galaxy Gear Receives Update to Tizen, Now Functions Like Gear 2
Samsung continues to devote development and marketing resources to its homegrown smartwatches, much to Larry Page’s chagrin. Reaffirming the South Korea-based company’s commitment to its non-Android Wear-based devices, Samsung announced this morning the promised update to Tizen is now available for the Galaxy Gear through Kies. (more…)
Sony Xperia Z2 Officially Available to Purchase in US for $699
At long last, the Xperia Z2 from Sony is now officially available to US buyers. Available through Sony’s web store, priced at a $50 discount of $699.99, folks can pick up this powerful device for use on either T-Mobile or AT&T. The only real issue, of course, is that there is still no subsidized version for American buyers on any networks. (more…)
Reported Photo of 2nd Generation Moto G Leaked
A photo has been uploaded to the web, claiming to show off Motorola’s 2nd generation Moto G smartphone. The name, which is reportedly to be Moto G 2nd Generation, appears to have about the same body and design as the current Moto G (the frontside, at least), but according to the source, this device could feature a slight upgrade in specifications. (more…)
Tip: Manually Adjust the Display Color and Contrast on the LG G3
In our LG G3 review and on the DL Show, I talked a bit about how I thought the QHD display presented colors a bit muted and somewhat washed out, especially when compared to the LCD or AMOLED used in the One (M8) or Galaxy S5. While I wouldn’t call that a deal breaker or even an issue you should worry about, it would be nice if there were some settings to adjust the color to your liking, similarly to how Samsung allows on the GS5. Thankfully, there sort of is.
As reader thedanks pointed out in the comments of our review, under accessibility settings, LG has built-in a color contrast adjustment tool. By enabling the setting and then dragging around the on-screen circle, you can manually tweak the way colors are presented on your device. (more…)
Google Now Seems to be Learning Contact Addresses When Traveling, Gives Time to Navigate to Them
A couple of weeks ago, I took a 5-day trip back to my home state of Montana to visit family and friends. I stayed with my dad, of course, but during the stay, I noticed an interesting Google Now card that kept coming up after a day or two after having been there. The card kept popping up with “Time to Dad’s,” as a reminder of how long it would take me to get back to his house. It was like the “Time to Home” card that you see if you have your home location added to your Now location settings. The card shows up if you leave home, so that you always know how long it will take to get back there no matter where you are.
I thought this card was interesting because my dad’s address wasn’t on my calendar, it isn’t in my location settings, and not once did I perform navigation on how to get to his house while I was there, because it’s in my home town of Whitefish and I know exactly how to get there. But over the last couple of days on the trip, each time I left his house, it kept telling me how to get back there, just like that “Time to Home” card. It was as if Google knew I was in Whitefish, MT, and that I was staying with my dad because his address is included in his contact card and I kept hanging out there for hours on end. It also could have been that it was simply looking through contacts to find nearby friends or family and was giving me the time it would take to get to their houses. (more…)
This Week in the Life of DROID: 7/18/2014
Another week down here at DL, as we are now a solid halfway through the 2014 calendar year. Time flies when you’re having fun. This week, we posted up our full review of the LG G3 which many of you have been clamoring for. Needless to say, we had pretty much nothing but good things to say about LG’s 2014 flagship device.
Now it will be time to see what Motorola (Moto X+1) and Samsung (Galaxy Note 4) have in store for US consumers.
Other news surrounded hefty leaks from NVIDIA, with slides detailing the company’s upcoming SHIELD Tablet and SHIELD Controller. To top it off, LG announced the G3 Beat, the Sony Xperia Z3 ran through the FCC, Google lifted name restrictions off of Google+, and a possible render of HTC’s Android Wear smartwatch was leaked. It was a busy week indeed.
If you missed any of the action, we have the highlights below. (more…)