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LG to roll out G Watch update after corrosion complaints

LG’s G Watch was a perfectly usable smartwatch, with features that you can easily acclimatize to, but that was before people started noticing corrosion issues on the five exposed contact points behind the watch, which was for charging via the dock. People were also complaining about irritation while wearing the smartwatch, again from the said contact points. The upcoming OTA update for the device looks like a solution for this issue.



The corrosion issue was a major complaint for G Watch users, and it happened because of the current that was running continuously in two of the five contact points behind the G Watch. What happens in this case is technically called galvanic corrosion – this occurs when an electrical current runs through metals (like the contact points) and reacts to an electrolyte (like the perspiration from the user’s skin). Because of the corrosion buildup, some users have complained about having charging issues.


Also, because there is current running through the contact points, some users have testified to feeling irritation on their skins behind watch because off the electric charge. The update from LG, once it rolls out, will supposedly turn off the electric current running continuously on two of the five docking points – and therefore solve both issues.


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The problem will be for some users who have G Watch units whose docking points have been corroded before this update – we suggest you bring them over to a service center to have them cleaned out. Corrosion might still happen to the exposed points even after this update – via the salt content in the user’s sweat, for instance – but it will surely be a slower process than when there was electric current present.


VIA: Android Police



Ooloo app gives a human “face” to virtual voice-search

While virtual assistants like Siri and Google Now have made our lives a little bit easier (that is, if you have a smartphone), there is still a struggle to actually get the results that you want when using it as a voice-search engine. It can get a bit frustrating when it doesn’t understand what you’re asking for, and of course since it’s technically not human, you cannot properly explain at times. The Ooloo app is bringing a human face (sort of) to the search, creating old-school customer service but in a digital format.



The process may take a bit longer and is not as real-time as Google Now, but Ooloo promises to bring better results because of a dedicated team of actual humans that will help you get the answers you need. Through the app, you send a voice-search inquiry, for example, “Is there a Greek restaurant in my neighbourhood?” and with a single app, you send the question to the server, where a real person will search for what you’re looking for. You can even add tags to easily categorise your question and the answers will then be sent through the app as well.


Before you start using the app, it will request permission to use your location since most of the inquiries can be answered better if they are localised. You can also easily rate the answers they gave you, depending on whether you were satisfied with the options given to you or they were just “meh.”


For now, the app is limited to US residents only, but who knows, if it becomes a hit, then it might expand to other territories as well. You can download Ooloo for free through the Google Play Store.


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YoWindow Weather reflects conditions through landscapes

Haven’t you ever wished that your weather app would show you what the actual weather conditions are outside instead of just giving you the temperature? Well it isn’t exactly the same thing, but a new Android app called YoWindow Weather gives you artwork and landscapes that reflect what it’s really like outside, depending on the time, day and place that you want to see, in lieu of actual live pictures.



The purpose of the app is simple enough. It gives you a glimpse of what the weather is like through carefully designed animated landscape art that will show you whether it is snowing, raining, sunny or windy. The artwork also changes depending on the season (Come on and sing with me, “Winter, spring, summer or fall…”) so all throughout the year, you’ll get to see new images. You have the option also of choosing the landscapes that best fits where you are actually staying.


You can even fast forward and see what the weather will be like a few hours or a few days from now. You just swipe through the screen until you get to the timeline that you want to check out. So if you’re planning a trip later this week, not only will you get the weather forecast, but a nice animated artwork showing what it might actually look like.


YoWindow Weather gets its forecast from leading meteorogical sources, yr.no and NWS. The paid version will remove the advertisements from the app, but if you’re content with having ads pop up every once in a while, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store.




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VIA: XDA Developers


Flappy Bird is back with more obstacles, multiplayer fun

We still maintain that it’s all your fault, all of you casual gamers out there who continually played (and cursed) while playing that massively popular game Flappy Bird, because now it’s back. As app developer Dong Nguyen has promised, the game is now officially back with new features, but this time – or initially, maybe? – exclusively via Amazon’s Appstore.



The app will now be a very fun offering for Amazon’s Fire TV where it will be a free download. And since the app is now embedded with a fun multiplayer, split screen, person-vs-person mode, it should be great fun for the family. Of course, that’s why it’s now called Flappy Birds Family. Pretty smart, huh?


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The game still features the most cursed and anger-inducing bird in the history of mobile gaming and you will still need to tap your way through those 8-bit Mario-style pipes. There are now additional obstacles – as if the game was not difficult enough on its own – in the form of ghosts that float around randomly.


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Nguyen has remarked that the game will now add a few elements of satisfaction – as opposed to the unforgiving nature of the original game – so as to limit the frustration (and broken device screens). That will also lessen the addictive nature of the game, he says, but we doubt that. There is still no word of when the game is jumping over to Android and iOS, but it should be that long a wait. Meanwhile, have you met the Timberman?


VIA: SlashGear



Nokia rumored to be mulling over an Android future

Although Microsoft has practically divested Nokia of it's smartphone-making business, that doesn't mean that the former Finnish giant is completely out of the running. Pretty soon, it might actually be making a comeback to the device-making business, but this time with Android as its platform of choice, at least based on speculation about the company's recent job postings.



To some extent, the theory behind this rumored move makes so much sense that it almost feels like a done deal. It would only be natural for Nokia to still want a piece of the smartphone market pie, considering how well established its name is in that industry. But it will likely stay away from Microsoft's mobile platform. Nokia's romance with Microsoft wasn't exactly the most popular even from among Nokia's own ranks, some of which left the company and started their own: Jolla. So other than striking it out own their own again, which they already tried and failed, their only recourse is to really go with Android.


Speculation that Nokia might be considering getting back into the mobile device business comes from a few items spotted on the company's LinkedIn job list. It seems that Nokia is hiring people with the engineering and design skills for future mobile devices. The Android factor comes via a very specific skill requirement: the ability to write camera drivers for Android. Taken together, it seems that Nokia might have a few ideas for future smartphones. Either that or it plans to simply harness those skills to improve or create its own mobile apps and services.


That said, if you're one of the remaining Nokia fans dreaming of the return of a legend, don't start holding your breath until after 2 or so years. Due to the Microsoft acquisition, Nokia is practically prohibited from making mobile devices bearing its name at least until 2016, just to give time for the world to get used to seeing Microsoft's brand plastered everywhere. But even then, we can never be sure what old Redmond has planned to ensure that any threat from its former vassal will never come to pass.


VIA: phoneArena



CyanogenMod 11 M9 welcomes new devices

Right on schedule, CyanogenMod is announcing the latest snapshot release of CM 11, now at version M9. While this new version definitely has improvements across the board, one of its bigger highlights is the first non-nightly builds for some devices recently added to the ROM's roster.



The three new supported devices that are getting their first snapshot builds include the HTC One M8 "m8" which was added in May, the Xperia Z2 "sirius" added in June, and the Xperia Z2 Tablet "castor" which joined the group just last month. While these devices have regularly been getting nightly builds since the day they were added, this is the first semi-stable releases marked for these devices. In case you might need a refresher on what these "M" snapshots are, we covered them at some length in March.


As to changes in CM 11 M9, CyanogenMod's changelog highlights a few things, like new themable UI elements, improvements to search in the Settings app, and some new translations. There are also a number of fixes to existing functionality, like bug fixes for the new Heads Up notifications, preventing the accidental wake up of the device when the system checks whether the proximity sensor is occluded by a solid object, and fixing the built-in email app's ability to store attachments to local storage for POP3 accounts.


CyanogenMod 11 M9 is fresh off the press so naturally the build system for devices are still churning at the moment. So don't panic if you don't see your device model in the list of snapshot downloads. And even if you don't see it after a few days or even weeks, don't despair that CyanogenMod has dropped support for the device. It only means that the maintainers for that device might have run into some errors that can't be fixed in time for M9 and have decided to skip this release and wait for the M10 next month instead.


SOURCE: CyanogenMod



More Samsung Galaxy Alpha photos, 6.7-inch model tipped

Depending on which rumor you believe, Samsung might be unveiling the Galaxy Alpha later today or on August 13. If it does get announced today, then we will be able to prove or disprove this latest batch of photos of the purported metallic device, as well as the latest rumor that it will come in 4.7 and 6.7 inch models.



The Galaxy Alpha has already been in the rumor mill for quite a few rounds, but after Samsung's Q2 earnings report, it seems that the stakes have just been raised higher. Aside from the Galaxy Note 4 scheduled to take the spotlight next month, Samsung revealed that it was working on another high-end smartphone made out of new materials. Depending on which mix of specs you want to subscribe to, the Galaxy Alpha could very well be that mystery device. An Exynos 5433 that blows the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 of out the water, 2 GB of RAM and a handy 4.7, or 4.8-inch, 720p display, and an aluminum frame.


The Galaxy Alpha's specs bore some resemblance to Apple's usual iPhone features. If that weren't enough to convince you that Samsung was eying for something like an iPhone, then this batch of leaked photos would. Previous images of the Galaxy Alpha that we've seen before sported a black color scheme. But in white coating, the resemblance between the two rival brands becomes even more apparent. If Samsung employed a circular home button, one might even call this device an iPhone clone. After all, it also has a fingerprint scanner there.


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However, that part about the Galaxy Alpha we already know a bit. But this last minute tip is definitely new. While it says that the size of the smartphone is 4.7 inches, instead of 4.8 in the last rumor, now we're being led to believe that there will also be a 6.7-inch model. Apple was rumored to have two iPhone 6's prepared, a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch. This might be Samsung copying that as well. But a 6.7-inch smartphone goes well beyond its Galaxy Mega giant. Then again, the Korean manufacturer isn't one to shrink from launching a 7-inch phablet, so this 6.7-inch rumor isn't as shocking as it is perplexing.


VIA: Weibo (1), (2)