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Google Fit lands on Play Store and the web

Google has finally and fully unleashed its own take on the intersection of health and mobile devices. Google Fit, which it announced at I/O 2014 back in June, is finally here and you can access it easily from any Android device via a dedicated app or, alternatively from any Web Browser. And, like with almost anything Android-related, Fit isn't exclusive to Google's sanction apps and devices alone and is open to other pre-existing, and perhaps more popular, fitness platforms already in the market.



Responding to the growing number of health-oriented wearables and apps, as well as perhaps Apple's own HealthKit thrust, Google came out with Google Fit to become the de facto health platform, at least as far as Android is concerned. Although still a bit vague when it was announced, the release of the Fit SDK last August clarified the features and goals of the new platform. At its very core, Google Fit utilizes your smartphone's or smartwatch's sensors in order to gather data. But more than just harvesting, it becomes a repository of activity-related information that other apps can tap into or, conversely, contribute to.


That last part is a significant feature of Google Fit. With the SDK, other apps and devices can also make their own health data available to Fit and Fit will pool those all into a single place. The end result is that you can keep on using your favorite fitness band or service, but you can view all that data under a single place. Thus, Google Fit becomes both a repository and a hub for all your fitness needs. Of course, this doesn't happen by magic and app developers will need to hook into Google Fit to achieve this. For now, onlhy Strava, Withings, Runtastic, Runkeeper and Noom Coach have been named, but more are sure to come. It will be interesting to see if OEM-related services, like Samsung's S Health or Sony's Lifelog/Smartband will also be game.


Google Fit can be viewed on Android and Android Wear devices via a Google Play Store app or from a browser using the web portal. Given its youth, it might take some time before Google Fit becomes a widely used platform. Google has also laid the groundwork for even more data to come from smartwatches when it added GPS support to Android Wear last week.


SOURCE: Google





New LG Octa-core SoC, Ubuntu 14.10 – XDA TV

Jordan1027

LG is set to release the Octa-Core “Nuclun” SoC on the LG G3 Screen! That and much more news is covered by Jordan when he reviews all the important stories from this weekend. Included in this weekend’s news is the announcement of the official release of Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn and be sure the check out the article talking about damping the thermal throttling on the LG G3! That’s not all that’s covered in today’s video!


Jordan talks about the other videos released this weekend on XDA TV. XDA TV Producer TK does an Android App Review of Google’s New Inbox. XDA TV Producer droidmodd3rx released a video talking about the Big Android Giveaway. And if you missed it be sure to check out Jordan’s Review of the Nvidia SHIELD Tablet. Pull up a chair and check out this video.



Links to stories mentioned:



Check out Jordan’s YouTube Channel and Jordan’s Gaming YouTube Channel


The post New LG Octa-core SoC, Ubuntu 14.10 – XDA TV appeared first on xda-developers.


This is the Verizon DROID Turbo, coming 30 October

Verizon and Motorola have finally unveiled the DROID Turbo and it is everything that we have expected it to be, which is both good and bad. Good, because it matches up to the high expectations set up by leaks and rumors. Bad, because there are no pleasant surprises hiding in corners. Needless to say, the DROID Turbo has shaped up to be quite the Android smartphone, to the point that Verizon customers might be tempted to opt for this instead of Motorola's own flagship, the Moto X.



Like any DROID incarnation, Verizon plays on the line's strength and endurance and the DROID Turbo does not disappoint. It has that Kevlar-reinforced rear cover, which now comes in a choice of Metallic Glass Fiber or Ballistic Nylon. On the front, you've got the strongest Corning Gorilla Glass 3. And while the Turbo's IP rating is unknown, it does boast of water-repellent nanocoating to ward of the occasional splash.



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The battery on the DROID Turbo takes center stage as well. A huge 3,900 mAh, it is advertised to last 48 hours on a single charnge. That's mighty impressive considering today's power-hungry smartphones, but a claim that still needs to be tested in the real world. That said, even if battery life proves to be shorter than 48 hours, you can quickly get juiced up with Motorola's Turbo Charging feature, promising an additional 8 hours of battery life for just 15 minutes of charging. Of course, you'll have to use the charger that comes in the box.




Unlike many rugged smartphones you'll see in the market, the DROID Turbo does not skimp on anything. The 5.2-inch display boasts of QHD resolutions, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 running at 2.7 GHz and the 3 GB of RAM ensures that Android 4.4.4, soon upgradeable to Android 5.0, will be running smoothly. The rear camera is as expected, a 21 megapixel shooter with an f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash, while the front camera remains a lowly but still decent 2 megapixels. And on the software side, you get everything that you might have fallen in love with in the Moto X, including Assist, Display, Voice, and Actions.



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• Display: 5.2-inch 2560x1440 Quad HD AMOLED

• CPU: 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805

• RAM: 3 GB

• Storage: 32/64 GB

• Camera: 21 MP f/2.0 dual LED flash / 2 MP

• Battery: 3,900 mAh with Turbo Charging

• OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop

• Water resistant: Yes


If you're a Verizon subscriber and this has all gotten you excited, better calm down just a bit. The DROID Turbo won't be available until October 30. The 32 GB model, which comes in color options of Metallic Black, Metallic Red, and Black Ballistic Nylon, will cost $199.99 with a new two-year contract or $25 per month on Verizon Edge. The 64 GB one, on the other hand, which only comes in Black Ballistic Nylon color, costs $249.99 with a new two-year agreement or $27 monthly on Edge. As an added bonus, Verizon will be offering one free screen replacement in case the display gets damaged within the owner's 2 year contract period.


SOURCE: Verizon, Motorola





PS4 Remote Play app lands for Xperia Z3 familly

The official Sony PS4 Remote Play app has hit the Google Play store. The app supports certain Sony Xperia smartphones and tablets. The the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact are listed as officially supported but owners of Sony's previous gen flagship need not fret, as the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet will be supported soon as well.



This is the killer app for gamers who want to be able to remote play their compatible PS4 games while on the go without using a PS Vita. The app requires a connection to a WiFi network and supports control on the smartphone screen using a Dualshock 4 wireless controller.


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Sony notes that the latest version of the PS4 software is required for Remote Play to function. The latest version of the app landed October 27 and is 6.6MB in size. So far, only a few people have taken the time to download the app, according to Google Play it has between one and five installs.


The current version of the app is 1.0.0 and the version of Android required varies with the device. Sony notes that you can use the remote play app on public WiFi networks, but they don't recommend using a public network.




SOURCE: Google Play, Sony


Apex Launcher update: Material Design tweaks, Lollipop drawer

One of the joys of having an Android device is being able to tweak how you use your device by using different customizable apps. App launchers are popular with those who are fond of these personalized touches. And even before the Android 5.0 Lollipop is officially rolled out to various devices, these apps can give you a preview of what life would be like with the major update. One such app, following in the footsteps of other popular ones like Nova Launcher and GO Launcher is Apex Launcher.



Version 2.7.0 was unleashed over the weekend and it looks like its major update is very much concerned with the upcoming Android 5.0 (as all apps are of course). They tweaked the UI of the now ubiquitous Material Design and updated several things there, probably based on the final build from Google. They've also added a Lollipop drawer icon, which will also be what the official app launcher will look like (really, who needs to wait for Lollipop?). The developers have also added a fixed navigation bar color under Lollipop, as well as updates in the translations.


Nova Launcher, probably the most popular of its kind among Android users, also had an update late last week, which some say is pretty close to what Lollipop will bring to your devices. It added circle folder animation, scroll indicators and also its icon theme in build-in apps like clock, calculator, contacts, email, etc. It will still be a few weeks, maybe months for some until we actually see Android 5.0 rolled out into our devices (unless you have a Nexus of course), and so apps like Nova and Apex are very much welcome for early adapters and impatient users (like us!)


If you don't have a launcher app yet, give Apex Launcher a try. It's available to download for free from the Google Play Store with no in-app purchases necessary.





ZERO: the launcher that feels like it’s barely there

There are literally dozens of Android launchers and home screen replacements, each one vying for your attention or your money or both. Some compete on a wealth of features while others go for utter simplicity. Some try to go the middle route and adhere to both, like this new launcher called ZERO, one that is advertised to be super lightweight, super fast, and yet still also super customizable.



Let's hear the spiel first. ZERO isn't exactly zero in weight but it does just come in a 1MB package, which isn't something a lot of more feature-ful launchers can claim. Because of that, it is fast to respond and fast to load. 0.2 seconds to be exact, according to the developers. In practice, you probably can't count that fast but it does feel quite snappy and almost too eager to go at a touch of a finger. Being small and light, however, doesn't mean it can't be fancy as ZERO offers almost all the bells and whistles of other pretty launchers. MIUI users, take note. You might feel at home in ZERO.


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What that means is that ZERO takes a more iPhone-esque way of styling your launcher. There is no separate section for an app grid or list and anything and everything is dumped into the home screen for you to curate and group as you please. Of course, unlike iOS, you can put widgets in there too, from the pre-made ones to your regular Android ones. A swipe up from an empty area of the homescreen will bring up the launcher's menu. There is an optional feature that embeds a quick switch row in the notification panel, which may or may not be to your liking or even become redundant for OEM skins. Unfortunately, the functionality in there seem to be fixed.


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Theming is were ZERO's at and, unlike some themeable launchers, the developers are promising premium themes to be free forever. That's probably not to say there won't be paid themes, just not premium ones or not coming from the developers themselves. That said, you can't actually just download themes willy-nilly. You need to have keys to unlock those, and keys are of limited supply, refreshed on a daily basis. It may be annoying to some, but probably a compromise others would be willing to make to avoid having to pay for themes.


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ZERO is still new, having launched only this month, so it will be interesting where the developers will take the launcher. Especially if the intention is to keep everything under 1 MB. The launcher is free to install and doesn't contain any in-app purchases and, as mentioned, themes are free as well.


Download; ZERO from Google Play Store


LINE Pop 2 arrives with more patterns, special blocks

Messaging apps used to be all about, well, messaging, but a lot of them have evolved into something more to stand out of the crowd. One of the most popular ones is LINE and in 2012, they introduced games into their apps. The first game they released was LINE Pop, and now, two years later, they're releasing the sequel called, unsurprisingly, LINE Pop 2. If you're into the whole 3-in-a-row type of games and you love the characters on LINE, then this game would be right up your alley.



The second generation of the LINE Pop game now comes in a hexagonal shape so the blocks can move in six directions: up, down and four diagonally. Just like any game of its type, you need to join three of the same characters to clear it. If you clear it in rows of four or five or in V, X or Y patterns, you'll be able to get special blocks for added power. Pop 2 also now has more special blocks, including stripe, rainbow, triangular, and flower balls, and a snow flower.


You might get a bit hungry for snacks as you play it, since it has the same "cookie look" as the first one, with waffles and honey blocks to boot. You will advance through each stage by fulfilling the mission given you, which gets more difficult as it goes along. That's why you need all the special blocks that you can get, to help you get past the seemingly impossible ones (well, as impossible as snacky-looking games can be). You get a very enthusiastic "Level Clear" and "Party Time" cheer every time you finish a level. The cute sounds the characters make adds to the appeal of a very simple but fun game.


Since you will be asked to log in to your Line account as soon as you install the game, you can compete with your friends who are also playing the game. You can download Line Pop 2 from the Google Play Store for free, but with in-app purchases available.


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SOURCE: LINE


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