Google Now is a glimpse of the future, a digital assistant that knows a surprising amount about you. It's not for everyone though, and you might not want the app keeping tabs on everything you're doing (and making suggestions accordingly). Here's how to disable some or all of the Google Now service on your Android phone.
Map My Fitness version 3.0 hit the Google Play Store back in May with a new feature and a new look. This time, it gets updated for the benefit of its growing Android community. The version 3.3.0 is already available in the Google Play store complete with three new fitness-tracking features: Activity Feed, Gear Tracker, and Google Fit Integration.
Suddenly, there’s a wave of health-related apps coming out. Thanks to the fast-rising popularity of smartwatches and wristbands. This Map My Fitness app has been updated to keep up with other apps and wearables like the Pebble, FitBit, and those form other brands.
MapMyFitness’ Activity Feed shows all your activities in one screen. You can also see what your other friends also using the MapMyFitness are doing. You can see your social connections, as well as, routes and workouts right on the website or mobile app.
The Feed will also show friend suggestions so you can connect with them directly or on Facebook. You can choose to announce your numbers and hours of workout and share them with your friends who are also health buffs. Looks like the app is becoming more social because the developers added the “liking’ feature to the Activity Feed.
The Gear Tracker features allows users to record mileage from runs, hikes, and walks. In partnership with Zappos, you can get a new pair of athletic shoes exclusive for Gear Tracker. This is a special offer that brings digital training to a whole new level. The app itself can tell you when it’s time to buy a new pair of shoes based on the data collected from all your physical activities.
Last feature is the Google Fit Integration that brings all fitness and activity tracking data in one place. This means all other apps that you use for health and fitness can be connected. All workout data can then be accessed in Map My Fitness for an effortless and easier activity tracking. From biking to running and walking, all fitness and workout data can be tracked and showcased.
Download updated Map My Fitness Workout Trainer from the Google Play Store
SOURCE: Map My Fitness
It is a very good idea to have a lock screen on your phone. The basic suggestion is to use a PIN code, and there are other options like Pattern and Face Unlock. Using these helps keep your phone and files private from casual snooping and prying eyes. But when you get home, you may not need the hassle.
In this episode of XDA Xposed Tuesday, XDA TV Producer TK reviews an Xposed Module that lets you disable your lockscreen when you are on your home WiFi. XDA Recognized Developer moneytoo created the No Lock Home module. TK shows off the modules and gives his thoughts, so check out this Xposed Tuesday video.
Be sure to check out other great XDA TV Videos
The post XDA Xposed Tuesday: Unlock Your Device Automatically with No Lock Home – XDA TV appeared first on xda-developers.
With so many music streaming services available on mobile devices, like Spotify, Google Music Play, Beats, etc, do you really need to be introduce to another one? Well, if you like listening to all the latest hits and find out what everyone else is listening to, then maybe you need the Hype Music app. It has practically the same purpose as the popular website, but this time in an app and mobile format.
Everyday, hundreds of new music is released and thousands of people write about them on their websites or blogs (and even social media). If you're always interested in what's new and what's popular, it is sometimes a challenge to keep up with all of them. That's what Hype Music does for you. It keeps track of all the new music releases in genres that you prefer, and sends them to you in an easily digestible manner. It also tracks a huge amount of music-related blogs and sites to see what people are talking about and then create a list of the "hyped" songs, albums or artists.
You will also be able to stream the music from the app, but it's not ilike Spotify and the rest, meaning there's no exxtensive music calaogue but rather just the new, popular hits that have made the cut. You also cannot listen or download the songs for offline purposes. You'll be able to see what your friends that are on Hype Music are listening to. Scrobbling to Last.FM is also included in the app. They will also have a featured new album every week which you can stream through the app in its entirety.
Again, unlike other music streaming apps, you do not pay a monthly fee to access the music from Hype Machine. You just need a one-time payment of $3.99 to be able to download it from the Google Play Store.
Wireless charging is not yet that popular in the market but it is slowly gaining traction so we can expect a surge in products soon. And that is not surprising as the more gadgets we hold, the less wires we want to be lugging around. Tylt, one of the pioneers in both wireless and portable charging is introducing two new products in the market. VU Wireless Charging Car Mount is exactly what its name says while the VU Solo is a more portable wireless charging pad you can easily carry around when traveling.
The car mount charger is compatible with any Qi-enabled smartphone and serves as both a car mount and a charging dock for your device when you're traveling (or parked somewhere in your car, for all we know). Regardless of the position or the size of your smartphone, it will be able to charge on the mount since it has three overlaid charging coils. For the safety of your phone, since you don't want it bouncing around on your car, it has spring loaded arms that can grip devices up to 5.7-inches of display and can even rotate 180 degrees. Just use a strong suction cup to attach it to your dashboard or windshield and you're good to go.
The VU Solo meanwhile is a more portable kind of wireless charging pad that has physical markers to show you how to properly align your smartphone so it will charge optimally. It is powered by any micro-USB cable and can give up to 5 watts of power to your Qi-enabled device. It also has an anti-slip silicone surface and a micro-gel suction base to prevent your phone from falling.
The VU Wireless Charging Car Mount is priced at $79.99 while the VU Solo is at $39.99. They will both be available for sale through the Tylt website by the end of this year or the last quarter.
SOURCE: Tylt
Softcard, formerly known as ISIS, has announced that it is being accepted as a payment method in one of the most popular fast food eateries in the US. Softcard users can now pay for meals in McDonalds restaurants around the US. Payments with smartphones running Softcard apps can be done at the counter inside the restaurant or via the drive through.
The deal with McDonalds is the largest deployment of NFC-based mobile commerce in a drive-through in the US. Paying with Softcard requires customers to use a free app that combines payments, offers, and loyalty in one place.
The app is available for devices on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. The app allows payments to be made by tapping the smartphone on the pad above the credit card scanner in stores.
"We are pleased to announce this national launch after a successful pilot program that began in 2013. Our work with Softcard further reinforces McDonald's commitment to customer service and convenience," said Anja Carroll, vice president of Media and Consumer Connection for McDonald's USA. "By collaborating with top brands in the mobile payments and commerce space, we're able to deliver a more meaningful experience to our customers that includes greater speed, ease and value."
SOURCE: Gosoftcard
All the sweetness and prettiness won't be enough to console you if your smartphone or tablet gets stolen, which is why Google has toughened up the latest Android 5.0 to meet the needs of the increasingly insecure mobile device world. Google now highlights the key achievements it made in coating Android Lollipop with a sheet of armor, but the question always is whether it's enough. As always, the answer depends on the user, but Google is at least pushing them in the right direction.
The first line of the defense, at least from physical, external forces, is the lockscreen and, unfortunately, that is also the easiest to break through, at least from an external, physical perspective. It doesn't help that the default is simply a swiping gesture so users are more often than not unaware of less convenient but more secure options, like PIN codes, patterns, or the sometimes inaccurate face shot. To make things even easier, for users, that is, Google is introducing some new screen locking and unlocking mechanisms, using Bluetooth devices or NFC. In, other words, wearables. Usually these methods that rely on another device fall back to PIN or pattern codes, so security is still covered. Except, of course, you'd need to have a smartwatch or something similar for that to make sense.
Android 5.0 is also the first time that Google will be enabling device encryption by default. At least for totally new devices. This will keep your data safe from digital intrusion. As the encryption keys are stored on the device itself (don't worry, not in an easily accessible way), Google has no access to them and, as a consequence, neither will any government agency. Only problem is that it will only be implemented in new devices and older devices, which are far more than new ones, remain unencrypted by default. Encryption also presents a stumbling block for power users who want to get more access to their device.
Google has also stepped up its SELinux implementation, the security framework that it adopted back in Android Jelly Bean. This time around, it is enforcing it across all apps. End users need not mind this feature other than the fact that, in theory, their apps are running in a secure manner. Unfortunately and rather ironically, this hardened security is also the biggest obstacle to gaining root, which is the gateway to all other power user mods. The situation isn't totally bleak and even SuperSU developer Chainfire is a bit optimistic, but it has become harder than it should, considering Android is a Linux-based platform.
These are just some of the changes coming our way in Android 5.0 Lollipop, and probably not the most exciting to end users, but also subtly the most important. Security has become a core concern for many mobile users these days and it is reassuring to see Google giving due emphasis to it. Of course, in the end, the onus isn't just on Google alone but on everyone who wields a smartphone in their hand.
SOURCE: Google