ASUS gamepad for Nexus Player available by late November

The Nexus Player is Google’s first real marketable offering for Android TV – with a big boost from gadget manufacturer ASUS. The Nexus Player has the specs enough to be a reliable casual gaming console as well, especially with the ability to connect Bluetooth gaming controllers. This is why ASUS’s dedicated gaming controllers for the Nexus Player – the ASUS Gamepad – may very much be in demand as the holiday season rolls in.

According to the listing via the Google Play Store, the ASUS Gamepad for the Nexus Player will ship in “3 to 4 weeks”, making that late November at the very least. The Nexus Player is able to accommodate connections from 4 Gamepad’s so that gaming with a number of your friends and family members is really quite possible.

The number of group-enabled game apps at the Google Play Store will make the ASUS Gamepad an interesting product to look at over the holidays, especially as casual gaming is continually building up its lead over serious gaming consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4 or the Microsoft Xbox One. Nevertheless, the Gamepad form factor copies a lot from the PS4 and the Xbox controllers.

The Gamepad is priced at USD$39.99 and is available for pre-ordering now – check the source link for the Google Play Store listing. If you’re getting a Nexus Player for the holidays, the ASUS Gamepad might be an accessory worth its weight in casual gaming fun.

SOURCE: Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• Nexus Player is your Android TV in a not so boxy circle


• Google’s Nexus Player now approved by FCC, no pre-orders yet


• Nexus Player back on pre-order, Nexus 6 starts October 29

Fitbit Surge leaked by online store before launch

These kind of things do happen with great frequency nowadays that you might not be able to tell a real “accidental” leak from an intentional one. Be that as it may, you can judge for yourselves what happened to the upcoming fitness tracker, the Fitbit Surge, which has not even been officially launched yet – but lo and behold, it was featured at Brookstone’s online store.

Of course it has long been taken down, but not before someone could do a screen capture of the leak. Damage done. Then again, this was not the device’s first leak, so you wonder if this is just a stunt to create more hype. The Fitbit Surge is expected to cost USD$250, and Brookstone’s “gaffe” could point to a launch pretty soon, especially since holiday season is already looming.

Distancing itself from the plethora of wearables coming out this season – especially from Android Wear – the Fitbit Surge is well, a fitness tracker. It’s not primarily a smartwatch, and it only ever notifies you just of your text messages and phone calls. It’s proud to be not-so-nifty.

Brookstone’s leak has taken the veil almost completely off the product, and the only unknown variable might just be the Fitbit Surge’s battery life. That could be just the one thing you would now be waiting to hear about from the official launch. Otherwise, all the details here may be the closest thing to official as you’re going to get today.

VIA: SlashGear

Story Timeline

• Fitbit app update brings new dashboard design


• Leaks show pictures and specs of new Fitbit models


• Leaks reveal GPS-sporting Fitbit Surge to be released soon

PSA: OnePlus One pre-order tomorrow 11 AM EST

If you're still vying for that elusive OnePlus One creature, tomorrow might be your one and only chance to escape the harrowing ordeals of an invite-only system. OnePlus will be starting the pre-order period for the smartphone tomorrow, but better get your fingers ready, because you will only have an hour to fill up the forms and make sure that everything is in order.

This rather short pre-order promo is OnePlus' compromise to one of the smartphone's most criticized misfeature: its availability. The startup admits that it doesn't have the resources, whether financial or human, to meet demand like other more established manufacturers in the market. But the demand, and the clamor, has been so great that OnePlus has little choice but to give in just a little bit to save some face, bringing us to this somewhat maddening rush that they call pre-order.

OnePlus sets the ground rules. You will, of course, need a OnePlus account, which you can sign up for even before the period starts. You can only order up to two of each item. You best be sure of those orders and your details as once the order has been confirmed, you cannot change your orders anymore, you can only cancel them. There is also no assurance of when the pre-orders will ship, but they will provide that information once they're ready. If you have the luck of receiving an invite before that awaited date however, you can opt to leave the queue to get yours immediately, at least for the OnePlus One smartphone itself.

The pre-order period starts on October 27 at 11 AM EST, 8 AM PST, 3 PM GMT, and 4 PM CET. The pre-order is only good for an hour. Hopefully, OnePlus' limited resources will not cause a system failure, considering how the smartphone is still a hot item. If Motorola's past fiasco with a Moto X markdown sale last year is any indicator, OnePlus might have a riot in their hands if they don't ensure it can handle the load.

SOURCE: OnePlus (1), (2)

Story Timeline

• OnePlus may start accepting pre-orders in October


• OnePlus will start time-limited pre-order in October


• OnePlus to offer limited-time pre-orders on October 27

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week we saw an insane amount of new apps. Facebook Creative Labs revealed mobile-friendly message boards for iOS . Google wants completely reimagine your inbox . Even Skype had a doodle-centric tweak for Windows Phone. But there's much, much more to explore in the world of our three favorite operating systems, so let's take a look, shall we?

Read more...

TechTalk Compiles All the Android News You Need in One App

If you’re as obsessed with mobile devices as the vast majority of our forum goers, chances are that you browse multiple Android-related websites to keep tabs on all the latest Android news. Manually browsing the web for content, however, isn’t always the best approach. Luckily there are plenty of tools available to aggregate all the relevant content into one place, but following Google Reader’s demise, many have been looking for the “just right” replacement for their Android news fix. XDA Senior Member grilledbacon32‘s new application TechTalk hopes to do exactly that.

TechTalk is an Android news app that aggregates Android-related articles from various sites across the web. Currently, the app supports XDA-Developers (both the XDA Portal and XDATV), Android Central, Android Authority, Phandroid, Android Police, Android and Me, Cult of Android, Droid Life, Android Pit, Android Headlines, Android Spin, Droid Games, and Rootz Wiki. The app is laid out much like most feed readers, with articles categorized by site or all at once. The interface is clean, and there is a slide-out hamburger menu to switch feeds or change settings.

If this sounds like something that’s right up your alley, simply head over to the TechTalk Android News application thread to get started.

The post TechTalk Compiles All the Android News You Need in One App appeared first on xda-developers.

Lockdown Pro allows selectively locking almost any app

We are trust our smartphones with private data more and more, and it is becoming so difficult to keep that data away from people who just want to compromise your privacy. Enter Lockdown Pro, a pretty awesome app that allows you to lock your apps whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned user – and it looks great to boot. Best of all, it’s completely free – with in-app purchases, of course.

Lockdown Pro features multiple PIN pattern options, geo-fencing, and even a stealth mode that hides the app’s very presence. Newbies don’t have to worry about a steep learning curve – the app has a tutorial to introduce you to some of its key features. Users start by picking a type of password, and once you’ve set that up, there’s a backup plan in form of a security question in case you forget.

The app is well thought of. Instead of just cramming it with options, developers have chosen to go for a more streamlined approach by showing you a list of your apps organized in two sections: Basic Apps that people are most likely want to protect with a password, followed by the Normal Apps list that includes everything else that installed on your device. Each app will have an easy toggle next to it, where you can choose to protect or unprotect it.

From the looks of it, Lockdown Pro looks to be one of the best app protection solutions we’ve seen in a while, and the fact that it’s available free only makes it all the better. You can grab the app from the source link via the Google Play Store.

SOURCE: Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• LockIt app is back (for good) on Google Play Store


• Droid Protector App Lock saves you from prying eyes


• App Lock & Photo Vault redesign adds Material Design and better performance

Pronto Fast Charge battery gives a full charge in 5 minutes

At least that’s what it claims. The Pronto Fast-Charge battery is a Kickstarter project that claims to be able to give you 8 hours of power on 5 minutes of charging. Sounds ridiculous, considering that fact that this is what irritates us to breaking point about our mobile devices – when you need to charge your device and there’s just no time for charging. This might just be our savior, yes?

Power Practical – the outfit that’s backing this project – made its name on Shark Tank, the NBC entrepreneur show. This project is a new type of battery which Power Practical claims can charge a smartphone in just five minutes. The Pronto comes in two models, the 4500mAh Pronto 5 and the 13,500mAh Pronto 12. Both batteries look rugged and heavy duty with its aluminum construction and dual USB ports.

Think about it this way – you’re heading out the door and realize that your smartphone’s battery is without a charge and you being you, you forgot to charge your battery backup as well. That is where Pronto should help, giving you a full charge enough for 8 hours of usage on 5 minutes charging time. If it’s true, then it’s a probable game changer.

At this point, you have to back the project on Kickstarter to have a Pronto unit. We realize some of you are nervous, but Power Practical already has a history of three successful campaigns, so their reputation is pretty much up there. Best thing about it is, the campaign is already funded – the Pronto is already USD$30,000 over its USD$50,000 campaign goal. So if you have the cash to splash, why not check it out?

SOURCE: Kickstarter

Story Timeline

• OPPO launches rapid charging powerbank, car-charger


• Motorola Turbo Charger adds 8 hours of battery life in only 15 min


• Chargerito smartphone charger is incredibly small