Whoa there, big guy. You can't just roll out for the weekend before loading up your smartphone with some new apps. What kind of blog do you think this is? Check out some newness right here:
Beats Music app gets first update since Apple purchase
Streaming service Beats Music, which is part of the Beats headphones company that Apple acquired late last month, now has an update for the Android version. This is the first update they’ve had since the deal was announced and the new features will try to make this service more user-friendly to compete with other music streaming apps like Spotify, Songza and Rdio.
In version 1.1.0, one of the major additions is that users can now save and transfer their offline downloads to an SD card. Users can also choose whether to retain the files in the internal storage or just transfer it altogether to the SD card. The app can also now play music in landscape mode for better viewing of album covers, if you prefer flipping through the songs in a horizontal fashion. Instead of the “Find It” button, you can now find the Browse option on the navigation bar on the left side.
Another feature that they have updated is the all-important “Just For You” recommendations, which the app says now is more “refined and fresh.” Music streaming sites and apps now are more than just for playing music, but even more so it has become a way of discovering new music that is suited to your musical tastes, as well as recommendations from your friends who actually know what kind of music you listen to.
There has still been no major changes ever since Beats by Dre was acquired by Apple reportedly for $3 billion. The deal apparently also states that Beats will still operate separately from Apple and some are saying that this could actually lead to iTunes being available someday for Android users as well.
Download Beats Music from the Google Play Store
Switchr app switcher almost has all the bells and whistles
As with home screen launchers, app switchers on Android are a dime a dozen. But if standard Android app switcher or even fully baked third-party alternatives like OmniSwitch, or rather OmniSnitch, just don't cut it for, you might want to give Switchr a try in order to make your very own personalized app switcher. At least to some extent.
What would set Switchr apart from other alternatives in Google Play Store is the sheer number of options available to the user. Although you only have three preset styles, you can tweak almost every part of those to your liking. And those styles aren't exactly boring either. Flow mimics the Cover Flow carousel style popularized by Apple. Slide, on the other hand, is a bit complicated, trying to emulate the Windows 8 way of switching between apps using an almost zigzag-like gesture. The style that doesn't try to imitate anything is Arc, which can either show a half circle on the side or a full circle in the middle of the screen.
Aside from cosmetic options, you also get to configure how Switchr behaves. You can setup the edges that trigger Switchr, on either or both sides or even from the bottom. Used with the half-circle Arc style, this would seem to be best for one-handed use. Perhaps most interestingly, you actually pin a few items to the recent apps list. In fact, the Recent Apps itself is an item that you can mistakingly remove. You can also add your favorite apps for quick and easy access to them wherever you are.
The rather sad news is that, while the app itself is free, quite a good number of those customizations are locked behind the $1.99 pro version. This includes the ability to use the navigation bar at the bottom as a trigger area, increasing the number of apps shown beyond 6, and even a Live Switching feature where you can see a preview of the window even while your finger is still gliding the list. The basic free version, however, is functional enough, but if you happen to like Switchr and want to squeeze more out of it, the paid version is the only way to go.
Download: Switchr (Free), (Pro)
Vessyl smart cup shows when you’ve had too much to drink
There will come a time when during an intervention for a loved one who you think drinks too much, instead of a banner, you’ll be giving them a $200 smart cup. Vessyl’s polymer cup, designed by Yves Behar, can detect what kind of liquid you’re drinking and can even tell you what kind of liquids you should be drinking based on your physiological make-up.
The cup contains a display on its side which they are calling Pryme which has a sensor that can detect not just what kind of liquid you are drinking, but sometimes what specific brand or product it is, whether it is Starbucks brewed coffee or even a bottle of Budweiser. As long as it’s alcohol, carbonated beverages and even the thicker liquids like shakes and yoghurt, Vessyl claims their cup can detect and “analyse” it. The display will tell you how much fat or sugar is in your drink and if it is still within target of your “hydration goals” that you can set into the cup beforehand.
All the data that it has gathered from your liquid consumption will be sent through Bluetooth 4.0 to a Vessyl App, available for selected Android devices. They have not yet released the list of compatible gadgets for the cup, but they are also working on integrating it with other wearable platforms, especially those that are related to health.
What is not clear at this point in time is how the cup’s sensor actually works. What they can reveal at this point is that it is the same technology that is used in food production factories for quality testing of the contents of the jars or bottles.
Console OS dual-boots where Microsoft, Google dare not tread
Android on PCs, that's definitely been thought of and done before, if the number of Android-powered all-in-one's and laptops of late is any indication. However, Mobile Media Ventures, the people behind iConsole.tv have an even more ambitious goal: to run Android side by side Windows on any PC of your choice.
Perhaps iConsole.tv's Unit 00 unveiled last year will speak to the company's chops. Or perhaps the relatively unknown brand will make others wary. Whatever the case may be, Console OS has a dream for Android on the PC, and that dream is quite enormous. Android has had various ports for Intel (or AMD) hardware for a long time now, ranging from Android-x86 to emulators to the versions shipped by OEM's like ASUS or Acer. None, however, come close to the matrix of features that Console OS aims to deliver. First of all, you've got an easy dual-boot option, or at least simply dual-boot in the beginning, with the easy part coming later down the road. You've got complete Android 4.4 compatibility, versus the buggy or partial versions shipped by other similar endeavors. And perhaps most interestingly, you've got Google Play Store support, or so the team claims.
Console OS is being marketed not only towards casual or even every day users of Android but especially to gamers also. This subset of Android users have the most to benefit with hardware that go beyond the limited power and capabilities of even the mightiest tablet or smartphone. As far as hardware is concerned, Console OS is promised to work on many PCs, but the number of supported models are actually not exhaustive. Many are laptops but quite a few can be identified as tablets or hybrids. Console OS claims that this is because, like Android on mobile devices, Console OS has to build Android for specific devices as well to ensure full compatibility. Other makes and models can be added, but that depends on the votes of Kickstarter backers.
Yes, this is a Kickstarter thing, and this is probably where the dream starts to fall apart for some. This isn't a finished product yet, though Console OS already has a head start, at least as far as basic functionality goes. There are still some missing bits, some of them quite important. InstaSwitch is one, which will allow users to switch between Wndows and Android at the push of a button. WindowFlinger is another, which brings true windows (with the lowercase "w") to Android, allowing things like running Android apps side by side. Perhaps most worrying for existing Android users is that there technically isn't any Google Play Store, but Console OS promises that they will be able to import Play Store purchases easily
Console OS also wants to target OEMs, and though they might find interested ears and supportive voices there, they will most likely also find the biggest resistance, if the stillborn Samsung ATIV Q and ASUS Transformer Book Duet are any indication. Still, if you believe in the vision and trust in the makers, this Kickstarter might be the best time for you to jump in. At $10, which is a limited slot offer, you can get one copy of Console OS, with free upgrades for life. After Kickstarter, it will cost $19.99 a year. Console OS plans to have a developer release around September and a 1.0 release by December.
SOURCE: Kickstarter
Archos 50b, 50c Oxygen are budget quad, octa-core smartphones
Archos styles itself as a pioneer in the media player and Android tablet category, but are relatively new to the smartphone industry, jumping in with their Platinum series smartphones in 2013. This year, Archos dives in head first into the rapidly saturating budget Android smartphone market with quad-core and octa-core variants of the smartphone they call Oxygen. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer.
The spec sheet reveals that both variants – the 50b quad-core and the 50c octa-core – will be running MediaTek chipsets, pretty famous in the budget smartphone market. The 50c will be sporting the MT6592, developed MediaTek in the latter part of 2013 as “the first true octa-core” mobile processor. This chipset will be turning 8 Cortex A7 cores running at 1.7Ghz, which is pretty awesome considering the USD$300 price range. The 50b – priced at around USD$220 – will be using MediaTek’s MT6582 chipset, which is a quad-core processor running at 1.3Ghz per core.
Strangely, and maybe by necessity being a budget phone, both variants will have only 1GB of RAM. The performance boost of added RAM – say maybe 2GB of it – in an octa-core phone is substantial, and we were wondering if Archos could have squeezed the cost enough to at least put 2GB of RAM in the octa-core 50c Oxygen. Also, both variants will have the same 2,000maAh batteries. Again we wonder if a little more battery power could have been given to the octa-core variant, which is sure to need more juice turning 8 cores.
On the upside though, both variants are sure to be able to handle HD multimedia with ease. Archos is touting even the 50b Oxygen to be able to handle full HD 1080p recording with its 8MP rear camera. Aesthetically, the Oxygen does carry smooth lines. And with a very slim form factor, both variants create at least the illusion of having a premium phone. There is no visual difference between the two variants, and both will carry Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.
SOURCE: Archos
Beats by Dre Powerbeats2 is its first wireless earphones
Beats by Dre, one of the most popular and fashionable audio accessories in the market, has finally come up with their first ever wireless earphones, the Powerbeats2 Wireless. Athletes, fashionable people, and us ordinary folks who are not fond of both headphones and wired audio accessories will welcome this newest product from Beats.
Aside from looking really cool while wearing these wireless ear pieces, the Powerbeats2 is also sweat and water resistant, which will make it even more attractive for people who love to work out while listening to their favourite jam. It also claims to run on six hours playback, so it can probably last you that whole 100 kilometre marathon. And even though the battery capability is still shorter than some in the market, if you charge it for just 15 minutes after it’s already low, you will still be able to listen to up to an hour’s worth of music after.
The design also tries to solve the “pain-points” of headphones by making the moldings near the flat cable and RemoteTalk controls bigger. The earphones also have the usual volume control and track-skipping button for when you embarrassingly realise that you “accidentally” have a Miley Cyrus song in your playlist. You can also use it as a Bluetooth headset to take calls when your hands are busy but you also need to talk to your best friend badly. Beats assures users that while the shape and look of the Powerbeats2 may be different, it is still the same audio quality as all their other audio accessories.
While Apple acquired Beats late last month, there has been no announcements of major changes yet in terms of product design and line-up. But many are expecting the new Beats products will eventually switch to Lightning to be compatible with other Apple products. Beats by Dre Powerbeats 2 Wireless will be available this month for $199.95.
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