ASUS teases Android Wear smartwatch unveil at IFA

Around two months ago, rumours of a fourth smartwatch using the Android Wear platform began circulating, and ASUS was the most likely suspect to develop it. Reports were saying that the Taiwanese OEM would be launching its own device to compete with the LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live and the soon-to-be-out-in-the-market Moto 360. Now a tweet from ASUS seems to confirm and tease that they will indeed be launching one at next month’s IFA.

The tweet teases a watchface-like image hidden in the shadows, which most likely pertains to the launch of a new smartwatch. The image also contains a quote from author Khalil Gibran, saying “Time has been transformed and we have changed.” The tweet then says that “something #Incredible” will be happening at the #IFA2014. So unless they’re pertaining to an entirely different thing, then it’s most likely their long-rumored new toy.

Rumors have placed the smartwatch, at least in terms of prices, somewhere in the lower range of Android Wear devices, between $99 and $149. But in terms of specs, it will probably be close to the two existing ones in the market, as the platform is relatively new in the wearables industry. It will reportedly use both voice and gesture controls as well as “more natural user interfaces” as per ASUS chairman Johnny Shih.

All will be revealed in a few days time, as the graphic included in the tweet shows the date September 3 during the IFA in Berlin. The highly-anticipated Moto 360 is also expected to finally be available in the market by early September, so we’ll wait and see how the Asus smartwatch will compare to it, as well as the two other existing wearable devices on Android Wear.

SOURCE: Asus

Verizon One Max finally gets a new Sense

Verizon is rolling out an update to HTC's 2013 giant and it is quite a big one. The update brings the new HTC Sense 6.0 experience to the One Max phablet, a promise that was made quite some time ago. Curiously, HTC's software update page remains unchanged, but this news comes from the horse's mouth so there is little doubt about its veracity.

Sense 6.0 gives HTC's devices a fresh new coating when it comes to the user interface. Most obvious changes can be seen in the new design that is noted to use a stronger color palette and emotive typography, quite in line with Google's own aesthetic bent. HTC's custom news app BlinkFeed has also seen significant improvements, letting users easily customize the content they want to see. The homescreen has also been updated with ease of use and quick changes in mind. One new feature is the ability to not only choose a font but to also to download new ones from Google Play Store.

The update isn't all about UI changes, however, as HTC has also included several behavioral ones as well, primarily bug fixes. Issues surrounding the ISIS mobile wallet system as well as the fingerprint scanner have been addressed. There are even new features included, like the ability to set a schedule for Do Not Disturb mode. And there is a new pre-loaded app included in the package in the form of Emergency Alerts.

As always, firmware updates roll out in staggered fashion, so it is unlikely that all owners will receive the notification all at the same time. If you haven't yet, the usual method of manually querying the update servers via the device's About Phone settings is always available. And of course, a stable WiFi connection and ample battery charge will be required to perform this update smoothly.

SOURCE: Verizon

Story Timeline

• Verizon One Max Android 4.4.2 update expected on April 7th


• HTC One Max starting to receive Android 4.4.2 update


• HTC Sense 6.0 HTC One M7 and One max reaches Certification phase


• CyanogenMod adds HTC One Max, Find 7 to roster

OneNote now supports handwriting, better tablet experience

Did you ever wish that your note-taking app on your smartphone or tablet should act like a real-life notebook? If you’re the type who’d like to bridge the digital with how actual journals and notes are like, then chances are you’d like something to that effect. While other apps like Evernote and S-Note (for Samsung) have had that feature for some time now, Microsoft’s OneNote has finally caught up with them in their latest update, which features handwriting support and a redesigned user interface for tablets.

Handwriting support, whether your penmanship is actually legible or not, is a great feature to have on note-taking apps, when you’re tired of just typing out your minutes or thoughts. The OneNote update lets you make handwritten notes, drawings or sketches through your gadget’s stylus or your finger. You can also annotate on text, images or screenshots, and highlight important parts, like you would an actual book. If you’d like to insert an image or an actual text in the middle of writing, just use your finger to tap until you bring out the cursor. In terms of formatting, you can even change the color and thickness of your pen, as well as the background of your paper (page color, grid or rule, etc).

In terms of notes that you actually want to type out, there are also updates to this feature on the app. There are new formatting options, including font type, size, color, etc. Just like with Evernote, you can now insert tags so that it will be easier to find and sort through them. The update to OneNote also features a redesigned UI for tablets so that it will be easier to organise and find your notes as well.

If you haven’t yet, you can download OneNote for Android through the Google Play Store, with the latest update. If you already have it on your device through GPS, the update would have been rolled out already. If you got the app from the Amazon App Store or the Nokia Store, it will happen within the next few weeks.

SOURCE: Microsoft

Story Timeline

• OneNote for Android adds new features, consistent cross-platform experience


• Microsoft OneNote update transforms app into a digital dumping ground


• OneNote makes its way to Amazon Android devices

Samsung Level Box mini: quality audio at a slimmer size

Samsung has unveiled the newest member of its Level line of premium audio accessories and it’s a stylish and compact gadget to amplify your music on the go. The Level Box mini is, you guessed it, a smaller version of the Level Box wireless speakers that became available in the US market just last month. It’s perfect for carrying around in your bag and whipping out in case there’s a need for an impromptu dance party somewhere.

The Level Box mini is a 55mm stereo speaker that packs a wallop when you pair it with your Android smartphone to aurally project music from your music player or your music streaming service of choice. As long as your smartphone is NFC enabled, you can quickly connect it with the wireless speakers. It also has a passive radiator, noise reduction and echo cancellation features. It even has a built-in microphone so you can also use it for conference calls.

It is also compatible with the Samsung Level App so you can control the volume and settings from your smartphone. You can also use the text-to-speech features of the app as well as the S-Voice functions of Samsung gadgets. The SoundAlive technology adjusts the volume and sound quality of the speakers by analysing the sound source of the connected gadget to your Level Box mini.

Compared to the original Level Box speakers, the mini version is 30% slimmer and has 1,600mAh battery that can last up to 25 hours playback without needing any charging. It’s available in blue, blue black, red and silver varieties. There is no SRP yet on the product page but given that the Level Box is at $169.99, you can expect the it to be a little cheaper than that.

SOURCE: Samsung

bKey: wireless,compact smartphone battery as big as a key

Powerbanks and battery extensions have become a necessity as the battery life of our smartphones continue to frustrate us, while at the same time our dependence on our gadgets for almost all our activities continue to increase. But sometimes, it is a pain to be constantly carrying around wires and batteries that feel (and look) like a bar of soap in our bags or pockets. A new crowd-funded product aims to revolutionise all that with a compact and wireless battery extender that is literally as big (or as small) as a key.

bKey may not pack the punch of the usual 5000 mAh powerbanks, but in terms of portability and the comfort of not needing any wires, it may definitely be worth it. The creators specifically made their PCB board as small as they could to house the battery it in a key-like case. It’s almost the same size as a car key, 75mm in length and 6.55mm in thickness (or rather, thinness). It’s good for an additional 30 minutes of charging for your smartphone with its 230 mAh and can hold its charge for around 30 days, with 500+ battery cycles.

Charging the tiny device doesn’t need any wires either. You can just stick it in the USB port of your computer, laptop or an A/C wall adapter. Then to use it, you just stick the micro-USB tip into your Android phone (it also has an iPhone tip as well) and you’re good to go. Well, for a few additional minutes at least, just enough to “bridge charge” when you’re commuting at a short distance or you just need to make a quick call and you have nowhere to charge at the moment.

Their Kickstarter campaign has already gone beyond their target of $25,000 with 18 days to go still left for people to back up the project. Their target is to be able to package and ship the bKey by the end of this year. Hopefully it will also be available in retail stores by early next year and not cost too much as well.

SOURCE: Kickstarter

Droid X gets a new lease on life via CM11

We’re not hating on the Droid X – we think nobody who knows his Android history would ever be able to do that to the phone which at its peak was the “for real” iPhone killer. But just four years after its release, it is already considered ancient – such is the pace of technology today. But XDA senior member “Aaahh” has given the old phone a fitting swan song, by successfully installing CyanogenMod’s Android KitKat-based OS on it.

Motorola's Droid X was a kicker of a phone at its time, giving the iPhone 4 a real run for its money. It was powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP3630-1000 single core processor which turned at 1.0Ghz. It had a 4.3-inch 854x480 TFT display with 8GB of internal storage. All well and good, but to run CM11, an Android 4.4-based OS, on this would be actually surprising. And it’s been done.

The flashing of the custom ROM is a bit roundabout, a bit more tricky than usual because of the difficulty of getting a custom recovery to work with the phone. In the process, you would have to use at least three different versions, one of CWM and two versions of TWRP. Make sure to follow the exact steps via the official thread at XDA – check the source link.

I don’t think we need to remind you that because of partitioning issues, you will lose data on the original phones when you do this – if you still have personal data on your old Droid X. But if you do, make sure to get it out first before starting the process. When you finish, it will be one of those “there’s some life in the old dog yet” moments. And then you go back to tapping away at your Moto X. Typical.

SOURCE: XDA

Story Timeline

• Motorola DROID X gets a massive bug fix update


• Android L theme for CM11 now available for L-style look


• Motorola is holding an event on September 4th: Moto 360 and X+1 likely

Snapshot activates camera of Android phones from locked screen

You are walking through a scenic park in Florence, Italy, when suddenly, you see some birds flocking beautifully together in the plaza. You take your Android phone out, unlock it, open your camera, but it takes forever to do so. By the time you’re finally ready to take a picture, the birds have already flown away and the moment has been lost. A new app called Snapshot is promising that this situation will never happen again as it will remove a few of those steps necessary to opening your smartphone’s camera.

While most Android phones indeed have that camera icon on your locked screen, they don’t always work as quickly as you want them to. Snapshot claims that it is the fastest one out there and all you need to do is hold up your phone like you’re ready to take a picture in landscape mode, press the button that will turn on your screen and it will quickly launch your default camera app.

This is not a new type of app and in fact, it may have been inspired by one of the features of the Moto X, where with just a flick of the wrist, your camera app will open, ready to take a picture. The QuickCamera app also replicated this feature, this time available for all other Android phones. But what Snapshot claims is that it will not make you do “wrist breaking gestures” and also that the app will not drain your batteries as it has “almost zero battery consumption”.

There is a pro version available for $0.99 which gives you a few more options in terms of positioning your phone to activate the camera. But if you’re content with just having the landscape to activate the camera, then you can download the free version of Snapshot from the Google Play Store.