Coffee messaging app lets you text easily on Android Wear

While smartwatches have made our communication and digital lives a little bit easier, it is still very limited, with most of the wearables just showing us notifications of incoming calls, messages or app activities. But acting on those notifications is not yet that great. Thank goodness for app developers because now, you can actually respond to messages without needing to take out your phone or looking silly talking to your watch with Coffee app for Android Wear.

The app says that it is the first messaging app that can use your smartwatch to respond to SMS communication so you can be responsive while you're on the go, wherever you are. With just a few swipes or taps on your wearable, you will be able to send messages in a more "subtle manner" if you're in a situation where taking out your phone is inconvenient or not socially acceptable.

Coffee has around 100 preset messages that you can use to respond to important communications you have to respond to at that moment. You can also customize a certain number of those messages if the preset ones do not match what you're trying to say. You can also choose the vibrating patterns for certain contacts so that you can actually know who's sending you messages.

While most of the Android Wear apps are just smartphone apps optimized for the wearable, Coffee is actually created from the ground up and conceptualized for smartwatches. You can download Coffee for free from the Google Play Store.

SOURCE: Awear

Github Tutorial App Shows You How to Use… Github

Github can get pretty complicated and using it can become quite daunting, especially for a rookie who’s just getting started. Unfortunately (or fortunately), there aren’t too many ways around it in the community-driven open-source development world, particularly if you want to compile a custom recovery, or a ROM or something else from source. So to help you out with all the ins and outs of Github, XDA Recognized Contributor and Themer Vivek_Neel created a Github Tutorial app.

Github Tutorial, unlike the many other helpful tutorials we feature here on the Portal, does not come in the form of a written forum post. Rather, it’s an Android application designed to guide and teach people just beginning their journey. In addition to the basics, Github Tutorial also covers the intermediate and advanced aspects of Github for those who know a bit more about the service. And to top it off, Vivek_Neel has added a test at the end quizzing you about what you’ve learned.

If you’re interested in learning more about Github, this app is a good place to start. So, to find out more, head over to the Github Tutorial application thread.

The post Github Tutorial App Shows You How to Use… Github appeared first on xda-developers.

Minuum update: multiple languages at once, material design

With the global community becoming smaller and more connected due to the Internet and digital technology, more and more people are becoming bilingual or even multi-lingual, in either business and/or in their personal lives. Sometimes, when communicating with other people, they even use two or more languages at the same time. Virtual keyboard Minuum is giving this kind of users an easier time by giving the app simultaneous multilingual capabilities.

Version 3.0.1 of Minuum now sports an experimental feature that allows you to use multiple languages simultaneously when typing on the virtual keyboard while using any app. When you type on the single row of letters (which is one of the unusual selling points of the app), you will receive recommendations from the multiple languages that you activated in the settings. The update will also show you a status bar for the other language packs that you're adding so you know how much time is remaining for the download to finish.

The newest version of the app also has a Material Design make-over, to keep it looking at par with other Google apps and (if your smartphone is already updated or will soon) with Android 5.0 Lollipop. Other minor updates shown in the changelog includes option to enable bonus panel shortcut, better compound words prediction, quicker secondary character selection, and a fix for the fonts in the mini keyboard.

There are also new themes available in the in-app purchases for the Minuum store. You can either choose the free version of Minuum or upgrade to the full version for $3.99, which of course has more features.

VIA: Android Police

Story Timeline

• Minuum rolls out v2.11 with floating keyboard,quick tips


• Minuum keyboard update: better language switching, more languages


• Minuum keyboard app to get huge update, new themes and languages

Samsung shutting down ChatOn in all markets except in the US

Maybe you own a Samsung smartphone device and you noticed one of the apps there that keeps getting updated but you’ve never used it (but you can’t delete it out of there as well) – it’s called ChatOn, and it was supposed to be Samsung’s competition for iMessage, a Samsung-only messaging tool. But it never really caught on, and after many denials that the South Korean gadget giant was killing the app, they finally officially announced that they were ditching ChatOn.

Well, there’s a small caveat. The announcement was made in Korea, and it looked for a while like it was only going to get ditched in Korea, but Samsung has come out saying that starting on February 1, 2015, the ChatOn app will no longer be part of the manufacturer’s app ecosystem in all global markets except for the United States, where it will be retained.

Why retain it in the US? The most probable reason is that it is the only market where the app has some sort of traction. Samsung is citing "changing market conditions" for the decision, but this seems contrary to the 100-million strong user base that they have claimed when asked about the app.

The reality is that the marketing for ChatOn was never really spot on, and people didn’t realize that they had a good messaging service in their hands. The result – people didn’t really use the software preloaded on so many Samsung smartphones because tragically, they didn’t know what it was.

VIA: Engadget

Story Timeline

• Samsung's ChatON hits milestone of 100 million users


• Samsung ChatON update integrates SMS and MMS messaging


• Samsung ChatON now lets you take back what you said

The NVIDIA SHIELD Holiday bundle has a bundle within the bundle

Yep, you heard us right. It’s a meme waiting to happen, but we’ll set that aside for a moment. What’s important is that you can now get the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet, the NVIDIA wireless game controller, and a bundle of games all for USD$399.

First you get a great gaming tablet, because that’s what the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet is – we’ve said it before, we’ll say it again, this is probably the best gaming tablet you can get out in the market today. Granted that you’ll have to pay premium for it, but that’s what it costs to have the best specs. It’s primed with the Tegra K1 processor, still one of the baddest mobile procs out there today.

Then you get the NVIDIA wireless mobile controller for all your gaming needs. And then NVIDIA put a bundle within the bundle – buyers of this holiday treat will get three classic Valve games: Portal, Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Episode One, which we mentioned was optimized specifically for the SHIELD Tablet.

So, are you planning to splurge on something nice for yourself this holiday season? NVIDIA’s Holiday Bundle makes it difficult for it not to be part of your options for gaming.

SOURCE: NVIDIA

Samsung Galaxy S6 rumored to have curved display on both sides

Some people think it funny putting out rumors like this – that Samsung’s next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, will have curved displays running on both sides. We’ll treat it like any other rumor we get – it’s possible, but we’ll have to wait on whether it will be probable or not.

The rumor goes that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will take the best things out of the Galaxy Note Edge and the new Samsung A Series – that it will have curved displays running on both its right and left edges, and that it will sport an aluminum shell. The Galaxy Note Edge, quirky though it may be, has been relatively well received. The A Series, on the other hand, has made it clear to the world that yes, Samsung can make metal-bound devices.

The logic behind the rumor is given more fuel by the flagging sales of the current flagship, the Galaxy S5, and that Samsung is looking for something new to amaze the global market and regain its place as the top smartphone seller bar none.

What do we say about it? Well, just because something could be done doesn’t mean it should be done, or that it will be done. Samsung is scheduled to unveil the Galaxy S6 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March 2015. There are still a good 2 months where we’re sure more details about the Galaxy S6 will come out – and maybe put this funny rumor to rest. Or prove us wrong.

VIA: HDblog.it

Story Timeline

• Galaxy S6 is in early development stages tips source


• Samsung Galaxy S6 may be released early, targeting MWC launch


• Galaxy S6 benchmarks show 5.5-inch QHD screen and 20MP camera

Make It Easier to Read Text on Your Phone

The software running on the smartphone in your pocket has a bunch of options to help improve readability, and whether you have a serious problem with your eyesight or you just want to spend less time squinting, they can make a big difference to usability. Here's how to get text looking bigger and sharper on the latest versions of iOS and Android.

Read more...