Orders of the LG G watch and Samsung Gear Live from Google Play are due to begin shipping very soon, so Google is doing everything it can to prepare for those arrivals. It is pretty clear that the first move was to get all sorts of popular apps on board with the Android Wear movement, have development teams prepare updates for those apps, and then feature them in a new, dedicated section on the Play store. That section is now live, along with a number of apps you probably use on a daily basis. (more…)
Android
Android Wear Receives First Update to KMV78V – Both G Watch and Gear Live See It
Both the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are receiving pre-release over-the-air (OTA) updates today, jumping them up to build KMV78V of Android Wear (4.4W). At this time, we have no idea what is new, since nothing is standing out. Until we hear from others who received the update (assuming you went to Google I/O), we will guess that this is a bug fixer meant to polish things up a bit before those first Google Play orders of either watch arrive.
If you happen to own either watch, you can check for the update by tapping the screen, then scrolling down to Settings>About>System updates.
Delta Updates Android App With Android Wear Support
Trello isn’t alone in updating their Android app to support Android Wear, this afternoon – Delta is joining the party. In a bump to v2.7.1, Delta is allowing Android Wear devices to show eBoarding passes once you have checked in to your flight. Of course, Google Now attempts to do this for select airlines, but this should help Delta addicts breeze through security without a hitch.
The app update also allows for manual removal of trips that aren’t tied to SkyMiles accounts and fixes bugs. (more…)
Trello Update Adds Android Wear Support
Trello, a project management service that we are quite fond of around these parts, received an update on Android today that introduced Android Wear support. With this update, the “organize anything” app will allow you to create new cards on the go by telling your watch to “take a note,” see full notifications on your wrist, and reply to comments without ever opening the app on your phone.
The update just showed up on our devices, so it must be live for all without a staged rollout. Full details below. (more…)
Nova Launcher Beta Update Brings Android L Visuals
With Android L available for a few devices, everyone not able to flash the developer preview build are scrambling to get a taste of Google’s latest OS on their devices.
Thankfully, the Android developer community is top notch, churning out plenty of work to help get your device running like Android L. Why exactly you would want your phone to run like a buggy developer preview build, I don’t know, but that’s why we love Android. Freedom! (more…)
Android L Features: A Brand New Dialer
One of the bigger changes in Android L that also shows off Google’s new Material Design came in the form of the new Dialer. Like many of the other features we have highlighted in the Android L preview, the Dialer still performs like a dialer, but it looks and is laid out better than ever. Gone are the multiple levels or outside pages, in is a design that seems like you can do everything without ever leaving a single screen. It is beautiful. (more…)
Pressy has Finally Arrived, We Go Hands-on With It
Pressy, the Kickstarter funded project that brought instant actions to your phone via headphone jack button, is finally arriving to backers after months of delays. The idea at introduction sounded interesting, so we went ahead and grabbed a couple, not knowing that Xiaomi and others would copy it and sell it cheaper before Pressy could get theirs off the manufacturing floor. But in the end, it is here and we want to take it for a spin. Well, we at least want to show those of you who backed it that it is real, is shipping, and actually works. (more…)
Android L Preview Hits AOSP for Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10 (Updated)
When Google released the Android L Developer Preview last week to the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013), I can imagine that a number of you were disappointed – namely those with a Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (2012) or Nexus 10. While Google still hasn’t released flashable images for any of those devices today, they have pushed Android L code for each to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which means that your favorite developer will likely having something for you shortly in the form of a ROM. (more…)