Chrome for Android Beta closes door on LastPass feature

It's only normal that software developers would patch up security holes in their apps. Unfortunately, there are rare times when such fixes actually break existing third-party features. That seems to be the case here when Google introduced a patch to the beta version of Chrome for Android which has effectively blocked LastPass from applying its autofill feature on web page forms.

The issue revolves around how both Chrome and LastPass on Android work. LastPass provides a service that will remember and automatically fill in passwords on websites, relieving users of the stress of having to remember and manage all those (hopefully strong) passwords. It's like what built-in browser features do except LastPass works across different browsers and platforms. LastPass implements this functionality as a plugin for browser such as Firefox, Opera, and even Chrome on the desktop. Unfortunately, Chrome for Android doesn't have provisions for plugins and addons, unlike Firefox for Android. What LastPass did, then, was to use a process called Javascript injection to get that same functionality to work.

The thing is, such a process is basically a "hack", that is, it's not a real solution. Even worse, it is, for all intents and purpose, a security exploit. If LastPass can use that door, then so could malicious software. Google can't really be blamed for wanting to close that door, which it did in the latest beta of Chrome for Android version 37. It has disallowed injecting Javascript into the browser, which means LastPass can no longer auto-fill passwords and forms, leaving users with a broken workflow.

Neither can really be blamed in this unfortunate situation and Google can hardly be expected to reverse that critical security fix just for the sake of LastPass. The good news is that there is still some time left before Chrome beta becomes the next stable release and LastPass developers are trying to work with Google to see if a win-win solution can be found or if the patch can be reverted. In the meantime, LastPass users on Chrome should switch to the stable version 36 of the browser or some other Android web browser that supports plugins.

SOURCE: LastPass

VIA: Liliputing

Story Timeline

• LastPass 3.0 update brings new design and new features


• LastPass on Android can now autofill app logins


• LastPass update brings Galaxy S5 fingerprint authentication

Leaked Moto 360 pictures show smartwatch’s secret charger

The upcoming Moto 360 smartwatch, the first one with a circular watchface, is already stirring up much anticipation. The latest leaked pictures show for the first time an idea of how users will charge their device, giving a small glimpse of the “secret charger”. The smartwatch, which will only be the 3rd one to run on the Android Wear platform, is rumored to come out this fall.

Based on the leaked photos on an Italian website, how the Moto 360 will be charged is a bit different from most smartwatches. One of the photos show a cradle where you place the smartwatch outwards so that you can still look at it even when it’s charging. There is still no confirmation which type of wireless charing will be used, although some FCC docs before showed it will be using the Qi standard.

Some photos show the smartwatch’s back unobstructed, revealing a few more details about it. Looks like it will be the expected stainless steel, but it also has other standard smartwatch things like the pedometer and the water resistant IP67. The photos show a bit more than what was reportedly revealed during the Google I/O last July and it will make the waiting for the official announcement even more intolerable.

Aside from the fact that it is circular, some features of the Moto 360 are highly anticipated. A hands-on video from Tech Crunch last month showed that it has ambient light sensor, which will automatically adjust the device’s brightness depending on the available light in your environment. The design also seems to be more sophisticated compared to other smartwatches in the market. Now the only question is: how much will we need to shell out to own this baby (and when are we actually going to get it!)

VIA: Android Central

SOURCE: Android World Italy

Story Timeline

• Possible wireless charger for Moto 360 filed with FCC


• Moto 360 to be released with X+1 and through Moto Maker


• Motorola video teases Moto 360, still nowhere in sight


• Moto 360 with ambient light sensor, first in Android Wear

Kyocera Brigadier videos show how crazy tough it is

The cat is out of the bag and Kyocera indeed has in its repository the world's first non-luxury wallet-friendly sapphire glass toting smartphone. And just to show what it means when it says "tough", Kyocera has pushed two new YouTube videos that summarize the Brigadier's key rugged features as well as demonstrate the excruciatingly painful things you can do to this smartphone.

Who better to know what tough really means than tough man Bear Grylls himself. This British adventurer is best known for his Discovery Channel series "Man vs. Wild" and, according to him, the Brigadier is crazy tough. After all, it meets IP65/68 dust and waterproof ratings as well as the US military's MIL-STD 810G standard. But the Kyocera Brigadier has one special trait not found in its Kyocera brethren: a Sapphire Shield display that is tough enough to withstand anything less than a diamond.

But if Grylls' word isn't enough to convince you, then maybe the battle scars, or lack of it, on the Brigadier will. The video below puts two Brigadiers, one with impact-resistant glass only and another with Sapphire Shield, to the ultimate torture test. Scratch or drop, the sapphire-clad Brigadier survives unscathed. This is practically the same torture video leaked before that hinted at Kyocera's next rugged smartphone, this time without the secrecy and with a clear Verizon branding.

In all other aspects, the Kyocera Brigadier is a decent mid-range smartphone, carrying specs that match the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini or the HTC One mini 2. These include a 1.4 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, a 4.5-inch 720p display, 4G LTE support, and Android 4.4. Of course, with all its rugged features and especially Sapphire Shield, the Brigadier pretty much surpasses those. And only at $99.99 a month, $399.99 in full, available exclusively from Verizon.

SOURCE: Kyocera (YouTube channel)

Story Timeline

• Kyocera leak shows sapphire display phone in the works


• Verizon releases Kyocera Brigadier with Sapphire Shield

Humble Mobile Bundle 6 brings 6 into the fold

Can't get enough of Android games? Well here, have six more! Humble Bundle is offering three or six, depending on how much you want to pay for them, titles to keep you company while you whittle down the hours. And at a price of "pay what you want", it's a practical giveaway!

The usual Humbe Bundle system is, of course, at play here, no pun intended. You pay what you want for these games but, depending on how much you actually pay, the number of games you get differ. For the minimum amount, you get your hands on three games. Eliss Infinity turn your fingers into galactic gods, deciding the fate of planets by fusing them together or splitting them apart. Careful not to let same colors touch, though, or you'll have a cosmic mess in your hands. Combo Crew Special Edition, which includes some unlockable content for free, is a cel-shaded fighting game that eschews virtual buttons and d-pads for more touch-friendly controls. Swipe and tap your way to combos and to glory. Making its Android debut, Duet Premium is a rather creatively unique game where you try your best to keep two dots, one red, one blue, out of harm's way. The only problem is that these dots' movements are constrained on the circle they're on. The "Premium" in this Humble Bundle offer is no joke either, as the game comes with all unlocked content and even disables in-app purchasing to prove that point.

If you pay more than the average, however, you unlock even more games! At the front of the line is Threes!, the insanely addictive and intricately beautiful puzzle game that has mesmerized even usually hardcore gamers on their fancy Xbox Ones. Mines of Mars isn't Minecraft on Mars, but this mining-themed RPG has its own enticing feature. Maps are procedurally created so that each time you play, you are greeted by a different one and a new gaming experience. Last but definitely not the least is Joe Dever's Lone Wolf, an RPG based on the gamebook series of the same name. The great news about this Humble Bundle offer? It contains both Acts 1 and 2 of the game, the latter of which is unlocked only after finishing the first one. But wait, there's more! Acts 3 and 4, which are still in development, will be added to the game when they come out.

Humble Mobile Bundle 6 will be around for two weeks, so there's really no need to rush. That said, the average to beat, which now only stands at $4.28 as of this writing, rises ever so slightly as each day passes, so it might be wise to get in early. One other advantage of paying more than the average is that you get access to future titles that will be added to this bundle. And based on the dozens of bundles that have gone before it, that will happen here too.

SOURCE: Humble Bundle

Story Timeline

• Humble Mobile Bundle 4 arrives for some indie fun


• Humble Mobile Bundle 4 ropes in three more games


• Humble Mobile Bundle 5 arrives with six new games


• Humble Mobile Bundle 5 sweetens the deal with three more titles

Pebble comes out with #FreshHotFly limited colors edition

Smartwatches are becoming not just sought-after wearable gadgets but even fashion accessories as well. The fashion-conscious would not just be content wearing the usual black, gray or white devices on their wrist but would prefer something cooler and even changeable. Pebble has come out with limited edition colors for their smartwatches in a campaign they’ve dubbed #FreshHotFly.

Two years ago, the wearable brand conducted a #ColorMyPebble competition where they asked users to submit their nominations for the the next color ideas for their smartwatches, to add to the existing Jet Black, Cherry Red and Arctic White. The winners were for the colors Orange and Black, which they then produced. But it looks like there’s a demand for more colorful options, and so they’ve added Fresh Green, Hot Pink and Fly Blue in their smartwatch line, but for a limited time only.

But it’s not just the colors that they’ve tweaked. Pebble has also added new watchfaces that are available in their App Store, which includes of course a Fresh, Hot and Fly editions, plus a weather watchface from the Weather Channel. Later this year, they will also be releasing a Reading Rainbow watchface with an 8-bit Levar Burton, after their kickstarted campaign to bring back the children’s TV series has finished and backers have received their Special Edition Pebbles.

So if you feel like getting yourself a #FreshHotFly Pebble smartwatch, head on over to their website to choose among the three colors. You just need to shell out $150 and a green, pink or blue wearable will be yours, while supplies last at least.

SOURCE: Pebble

LG G3 Stylus accidentally revealed in G3 Beat ad

It seems that LG is read to take its rivalry with Samsung to the next level. In a video that was meant to solely advertise the features of the LG G3 Beat, people watching took more notice of the end of the video, which revealed a trio of G3 branded smartphones, the very last of which is something no one had any inkling of until today: a stylus-toting LG G3 Stylus.

Quite an apt name and one that immediately speaks to the device's purpose. This never before heard of smartphone was shown to sport a stylus that could be plucked out of the top edge of the device. Quite an unconventional design in this day and age, where styluses are often regarded as relics of the past. However, it isn't exactly new and there has been one stalwart of the fine-tipped accessory, LG's forever rival, Samsung.

Of course, Samsung doesn't have any monopoly on the stylus design, which has been in existence since the time of Palm. It is, however, probably the only one that insistently champions the digital writing instrument. In fact, the manufacturer is set to unveil the next generation Galaxy Note 4 at IFA next month. The stylus still has its following and its advantages, as seen by innumerable designs available in the market. But it will take more than a simple "me too" for LG's own take to be noticeable.

Samsung's stylus implementation uses digitizers licensed from Wacom, so LG might be going with other makers like N-Trig, also found in Sony's and now Microsoft's tablets, or completely different tech like Qualcomm's ultrasound pen or NVIDIA's DirectStylus. Or it could actually have been working on something on its own, though a little less likely. The original video has, unsurprisingly, been pulled down but has fortunately been mirrored a number of times already. And it's probably not because of the G3 Beat.

Based on previous speculation plus snooping around the LG website's UA Profile, a certain LG D693n believed to be the G3 Stylus bears a resolution of 960x540. In other words, qHD. Based on the video, it seems that is it as big or even bigger than the LG G3 itself. If so, the device might actually be a variant or modeled after the recently announced Verizon LG G Vista, which sports a 5.7-inch qHD display. Not exactly encouraging.

VIA: SlashGear, My LG Phones

Sony has announced that it will no longer support PlayStation Mobile on Android.

Sony has announced that it will no longer support PlayStation Mobile on Android. The service will continue to operate, but from Android 4.4.3 and up, Sony won't guarantee that games will work properly.

Read more...