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Facebook Messenger v9 has voice reply for Android Wear

There may only be two smartwatches in the market (will turn 3 once Motorola launches its Moto 360) running on Android Wear right now, but that hasn’t stopped several apps from adding features to support the platform. Probably this is due to the fact that they expect it to explode in the next few months or years. The new version of Facebook Messenger, v9, now has the capability of replying to your messages by speaking into your smartwatch.



The new version of the FB messenger lets you voice reply to any conversation on the app, if you have a Samsung Gear Live or an LG G3 that is. If you’re on the go and too busy to type out a reply to your FB messages on your smartphone, then all you have to do is have the FB messenger app open on your smartwatch and use the voice reply option. Or if you’re really pressed for time (or are too lazy) but you need to send some kind of reaction, then you can now send a thumbs up through your Android Wear device. Another helpful new feature is the ability to mute notifications on your smartwatch or your mobile device.


Other than the new Android Wear support, there is not much updates for normal mobile users of the FB Messenger app, except for supposed "improvements to make the app faster and more reliable”. Just last week, Facebook announced it is removing the messenger features from the main app, slowly forcing users to migrate to the stand-alone Messenger app if they want to continue using the service.


While the app has seen a lot of improvements from its previous incarnations, there is still a lot of resistance to this major change, since some users just want one Facebook app instead of several separate ones, plus the chat heads can be kind of annoying. If you want to check out what the fuss is about (and if you already have or are planning to buy an Android Wear smartwatch), you can download the Messenger for free from the Google Play Store.


SOURCE: Ian Lake





BLU Studio C series brings a splash of color to budget line

BLU Products is at it again. The US-based maker of unlocked smartphones is debuting some new devices and it isn't content with just one or two. It's new "Studio C" smartphone series is composed of four, yes, four, smartphones that all have three things in common: they're mid-range, dirt cheap and extremely colorful. Oh, and they fortunately all run Android 4.4 KitKat.



The four smartphones can be grouped into two based on their processors. At the top, you have the Studio 5.0 C HD and the Studio C Mini, both running on the same 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 CPU. As you can probably guess, the Studio 5.0 C HD stands still higher. And larger. It has a 5.0-inch display that manages to reach at least a resolution of 1080x720 pixels. It has 1 GB of RAM but only 4 GB of storage. An 8 megapixel camera decks the rear while a 2 megapixel one is located at the front.


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The Studio C Mini is indeed smaller and weaker with only 512 MB of RAM and a 4.7-inch 800x480 display. It has the same internal storage of 4 GB as the 5.0 C HD and, like its bigger sibling, it has a slot for a microSD card up to 64 GB in capacity. The camera at the back only has 5 megapixels, but the front-facing shooter is at the same 2 megapixels.


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Going down further we get to the other pair, the Studio 5.0 C and the Studio 5.0 CE, both running on a 1.3 GHz dual, not quad, core MediaTek CPU and limited to only 512 MB of RAM, Clearly the lower range of the series. That said the 5.0-inch display on both devices sports the exact same 854x480, a bit higher than the C Mini. Storage is also capped at 4 GB with a microSD card slot, but this time limited only to 32 GB max. Both have front VGA cameras but the Studio 5.0 C has a slightly higher 5 megapixel shooter while the 5.0 CE only has 3.2. Aside from these the most striking difference between the two is that the BLU Studio 5.0 CE doesn't have any 3G support, while all the rest of the family have. Unsurprisingly, no 4G LTE on any of the four.


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Confused by all the details? The table below lays out all the features of the four Studio C series smartphones.



blu-studio-c-series-table



Both the BLU Studio 5.0 C HD and the Studio C Mini are now available from Amazon and various retailers with a price tag of $149 for the HD model and $119 for the mini. The other two won't be coming until later this month but they will naturally carry much lower price tags, with the Studio 5.0 C costing $109 and the Studio 5.0 CE only a measly $89.


SOURCE: BLU Products (Studio 5.0 C HD), (Studio C Mini), (Studio 5.0 C), (Studio 5.0 CE)





Pinterest introduces conversations, multiple recipients

While not as popular as other social networks like Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest is still considered a juggernaut with more than 70 million users and more than 2 million pins sent everyday. Now, they are making it even more personal as they introduce a few new features that can turn a pin into a conversation between you and a friend or a group chat to talk about a particular pin that you find useful or interesting.



Several months ago, Pinterest introduced the Send a Pin feature which allowed you to send pins to specific friend who you think would find a certain pin helpful. However, other than sending it to them, there wasn’t any kind of interaction between the friends and it was just a give and give relationship. But with the new feature, you and your friend can now talk about the wedding gown that you’re suggesting or the recipe that both of you want to try out. When you send a pin to your friend, a conversation bubble, which kind of looks like the FB chat head appears on the lower left-hand corner (for websites and tablets) or a separate dialogue screen (for smartphones). But if that annoys you or it covers your pins, you can easily get rid of the dialogue box.




Another interesting feature, particularly for friends who enjoy spewing ideas back and forth, is the ability to send pins and messages to more than one person. Family and friends can now collaborate on travel plans, creative pegs for projects or the menu for your next big get-together. Just simply keep on adding names from your contacts when you’re sending a pin.




But since Pinterest is not positioning itself as a messaging app, there are still limitations as to how this messaging feature works. For one, there isn’t a contact list like what you find in most apps like Line or Viber. Also, there isn’t a conversation or messages tab in the app or website and you can only retrieve your existing conversations from the notifications button. If you don’t have Pinterest yet on your device, you can download it from the Google Play Store.




SOURCE: Pinterest





Google’s Emu buy seen to bring some brains to Hangouts

Wouldn't it be swell if you could easily turn chat messages into calendar appointments or todo items right then and there, without having to leave the chat app or switch back and forth between chat, email, calendar, and whatnot? That bit of smartness might soon be a reality on Hangouts if Google's acquisition of startup and chat app Emu is what we think and hope it means.



You might not have heard about Emu, which is perfectly fine since it's an app available only on iOS. The purpose of the app is both ingenious and simple that you wonder why not more messaging apps have this feature. It analyzes chats for important keywords and turns them into the appropriate action for another app. Your crush asks if you're free for a dinner date Friday night? No need to scamper to your calendar just to check. Emu will display a small overlay that shows you if you have something already on your plate. Mom asked you to buy milk on your way home? A simple swipe and tap puts it on your tasks. To see it in action, here's Emu's video ad, which hopefully isn't condoning playing games while driving.




If you really think about it, you'd probably wonder why Google Hangouts doesn't have that feature already. After all, Google is king when it comes to context analysis like that. In fact, Gmail on the web already has that feature, turning text into links that can be turned into a calendar appointment. Not so on Android though. Granted, Emu does a lot more than simple linking so it will be quite interesting to see where this new venture will be heading.


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Excited as we may be here in Google's world, it's not good news for existing Emu users. Unlike most Google acquisitions, Emu will be abruptly ending its product's life on iTunes App Store, effective August 25. Details of how Emu operation and development will continue are not a matter of public record, but we do expect, if not hope, that this assimilation will bring Emu's smart features into apps and services like Hangouts, Google Now, and maybe even Gmail on Android.


SOURCE: Emu

VIA: SlashGear


Foursquare version 8.0 focuses on customized recommendations

Two weeks after Foursquare announced that they are rebranding from the ground up, they have finally unveiled version 8.0, and simply checking-in is definitely a thing of the past as far as the new app is concerned. The new Foursquare is all about giving users personalised and localized recommendations, based on what kind of things you like, where you’ve been in the past and what you should be checking out in your hood.



Based on the idea that our smartphones should act us our personal concierge, the updated Foursquare wants to help you explore and expand your horizons by recommending the things and places it has learned you will like. When you launch the new app, it will create a profile for you based on the things that you will check among the options given you (milk tea, art, falafel, breakfast food, comfort food, exercise are just among some of the options. Then based on your taste, your past check-ins and your friends’ recommendations, you will be given recommendations, divided into horizontal tabs (breakfast, lunch, coffee, shopping, fun). Each tab will have photo-driven card recommendations, divided into places nearby, your tastes nearby and recommended by people you follow.


Now when you first look at all these recommendations, it might be a little overwhelming, even though it’s highly visual. But that’s why there are those magic things called filters, so you can narrow down the choices either by price, cuisine or you can even get more specific, like places that are pet-friendly or coffee shops that use local beans, etc. Foursquare says that the more you use the app, the more it will tailor-fit the recommendations for you.




Of course, if you still feel the need to check-in, you can still use their other service, Swarm, which will supposedly work seamlessly with Foursquare, although you have the option whether or not to use it of course. Update your Foursquare app today to explore the changes or if you haven’t downloaded it yet, go to the Google Play Store.


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SOURCE: Foursquare





And then there were two: Galaxy S4 GPE dropped from list

It seems to be that Google is rather actively culling its device roster, most likely to make room for more of different kinds as well as hopefully some fresh new blood. Following the reduction of Google Play Edition devices last month, the Android maker has removed the Samsung Galaxy S4 from the roster, leaving only these year's smartphones on the table.



The HTC One (M7), the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the LG G Pad 8.3, and now the Samsung Galaxy S4. All of these phones, and one tablet, from last year's catalog. All of them now gone. Not surprisingly really and it was, in fact, inevitable. Still, we do feel a tinge of sadness as we say farewell to these rather unique devices that bear vanilla Android experiences enclosed within OEM hardware. Fret not, remaining GPE fans, because there are still two devices left to choose from. Namely the HTC One M8, which isn't a bad option at all, and the Moto G, an impressive budget phone if you need one.


Google is partially clearing up space to make room for its new babies, the Android Wear smartwatches. Of course, they're not exactly GPE smartphones, since, well, they're not exactly smartphones. These devices, however, have joined the likes of the Nexus line, the solitary Chromecast, the house-trained Nest, and the growing Chromebooks, of having the singular privilege of being enthroned in Google Play Store. At the moment, there are only two things sold in that department, the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, three if you include the G Watch cradle. But we are definitely expecting more to come, in particular Motorola's highly-anticipated Moto 360.


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That said, we do expect some new smartphones to replace the retired ones. The Galaxy S5 is a prime candidate for the position, having already been teased before. And then there's also the LG G3, which definitely sounds tasty in a GPE variant. It wouldn't hurt to see more tablets also join the team, though Google hasn't exactly been too keen about that.


SOURCE: Google

VIA: SlashGear





Sony to discontinue PlayStation Mobile for Android devices

It’s a sad day indeed for mobile gamers as Sony has announced that they will not be supporting anymore the PlayStation Mobile app for Android devices that are running the latest versions. This is probably part of their move to strengthen their gaming handheld devices, particularly the PS Vita and others like it, instead of allowing those with smartphones to access the games.



It was mostly indie Playstation games that benefitted from the PS Mobile app, which is more of a framework to let Android users to download and play games on their gadgets. Sony was still pushing it late last year, adding 8 more countries last December 2013 to those who had access to the app. However, it probably seemed too good to be true (or to costly to their handheld sales) and so the announcement is not really too surprising, although it will indeed affect the indie game development community.


This doesn’t mean however that Sony is totally abandoning this publishing framework. Instead, they will still continue to encourage development of games from the community, and of course at the same time trying to catch the gamers’ attention, but this time focusing on PS Vita and their other handheld devices. Even the Xperia handsets that were “PlayStation Certified” will eventually lose the ability to use the PSM app as well.


But it will not be an immediate pullout of course. Devices that are running on Android 4.2 can still continue enjoying the PSM (until when though is still not sure). Those who are already on 4.3 and 4.4 will still be able to access the gaming store and redownload games that they’ve already purchased, but it also depends on the device manufacturer and the game developer itself. But for the upcoming Android L 4.5 or 5.0, games already installed may not work properly, and it will not be supported anymore, as well as no access to the store and for redownloading. Time will tell if this is a smart or foolish move for Sony and if it will affect sales of their gaming handhelds, for better or worse.


VIA: SlashGear





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