Qmote is the remote button to make your smartphone smarter

Smartphones have made our life easier, or more complicated, depending on your point of view. But technology is always on the verge of inventions and discoveries that can make things even more simple and convenient. A new Kickstarter project is one of those devices that will make your smartphone and smart appliances even smarter with just one click. Qmote is out to revolitionize the way your mobile devices function, even when you're away from them.

You can program your Qmote to do up to 10 different actions, including IFTTT commands so that your smartphone, tablet or smart appliances around your house can function even without you touching them. You can also connect several Qmotes to just one smartphone so you can leave a few of them lying in different locations, in case you can't be bothered to look for it or carry it around. You can also turn on the "Presenter Mode" in the device so you can link to your computer through Bluetooth Smart and use it just like any other presenter device to move the slides along. Other functions you can use it for is to control music, take photos, take screenshots, record audio, toggle silent mode, snooze an alarm, and many more.

Qmote has a brushed aluminum casing that looks sleek and not too shabby at all, with dimensions of 3.9 x 3.3 x .5 cm. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 to connect to your devices and is powered by a changeable coin cell battery that should last you up to a year, if you use it regularly. It has an IPX7 water rating which means you can use it indoors and outdoors, even in the snow, rain or with brief splashes of water.

Its campaign hasn't reached its goal of $20,000 yet, but it has already more than 50% funding. There are 40 days to go, and you can pledge as low as $15, which already includes one Qmote device. Estimated delivery for early birds is April this year.

SOURCE: Kickstarter

Shazam lets you access saved playlist right on Spotify

After only more than a month, Shazam is being updated to bring fans more convenience when it comes to listening to music on Shazam. After the Rdio and Spotify integration, Shazam now allows listening to full tracks in any Shazam playlist. And even when you're outside the app, say for example Spotify, you can access your Shazams saved to a ‘My Shazam Tracks’ playlist right there. You can do the same on Rdio too. And for those who like checking out the Shazam charts regulary, know that you can access them easily by tapping the Charts on tab to see the trending Shazams and global chart among others.

Shazam makes it easier for you to identify TV and music--those shows and songs you know nothing about. Shazam can display relevant information about what you are watching or listening too. When you Shazam music, you can easily preview and buy tracks on Google Play or Amazon. Real time lyrics can be shown as well. And since everything must be social, you can share new discoveries on your favorite social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, WhatsAp, and even Pinterest.

If you know others who use Shazam, you can share or see recommendations from them too. Any information you need about a song or a TV show, you can view right on Shazam. That's how useful this app is. See what your friends are "Shazaming" as well so you'll be able to explore more and see what's trending around you. If you want to see the artists in a concert, you can also book tickets if available.

And to sing along with the songs you're listening to, you can view the lyrics from Lyrics and LyricPlay. However, this particular feature is only available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Download Shazam from the Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• Shazam gets updated to version 4.0 with a brand new look


• Shazam update makes it easier to purchase music on Google Play


• Shazam app updated with new music, Spotify and Rdio integration

Pushbullet Is a Fantastic App Every Phone Should Have

Pushbullet isn't new, but since I installed it maybe a year ago, it has sneakily gotten a lot better, especially for Android phones. And as I used to it to text from my browser for the umpteenth time yesterday, it struck me how great it's really become. So maybe you've heard already but let me fire off a reminder: You should download this app.

Read more...

HTC Hima image ‘leaks’ possible decoys

It appears HTC has been fooling us all along: a source familiar with the ongoing development of the company’s upcoming take on its HTC One flagship device has reportedly said that images leaked earlier this week are no more than decoys meant to throw nosy snoops off the trail. This is not a weird thing to do in the secret world of device development, with Apple most (in)famous for their paranoia regarding leaks of their new devices.

The HTC-inclined tech blog "HTC SOURCE" points out via a trusted source of theirs that the leaked images of the widely-anticipated HTC One M9, codenamed “Hima,” do not necessarily reflect the final product. The leaked pictures suggest the Hima shares a design aesthetic similar to its predecessor, the HTC One M8, leaving not a few enthusiasts puzzled. But then again, industry watchers are also quick to point out that the M8 won several design awards, which might be the reason why HTC would be keeping it, if at all.

However, the aforementioned source says that HTC is merely fooling everyone, like it did two years ago. Back then, the company released pictures of the M7 in development using replacement parts, renderings, and working test units and successfully managed to keep its true design away from the public until the actual launch. If this is true in this case, it would be reasonable to expect the Hima to look just a tad bit different from the HTC One M8. Initial reports seem to indicate that the M9 would probably go for an edge-to-edge glass front, with the BoomSound speaker slits aligned with the top and bottom edges. It is also reported that the front camera’s design and placing will be similar to the HTC Desire 826, with the lens positioned centrally above the display screen.

That HTC would hide the Hima in the shell of an M8-looking design would probably not be a surprise to anyone. As for the other details that have made us drool—a 5-inch, full HD 1080p display, powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor running on Sense 7 or Android 5.0 Lollipop, and Cat6 LTE speed—we do sincerely hope that they are true. Nevermind if the Hima is actually hiding as of this time.

SOURCE: HTC Source

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Samsung Galaxy S6, S Edge confirmed by Vodafone Netherlands

Everybody is excited and prepping for the launch of Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6, and local carriers like Vodafone in Netherlands is no exception. Well, they’ve all but confirmed that they will be carrying the latest flagship phone – but a not-so-cursory look into the source code of the same website shows that they might also carry one “Samsung Galaxy S Edge”. Whatever might that be?

We feign our surprise, but of course, we know that the Galaxy S Edge might be the new Samsung smartphone that features additional curved displays on its edges – just like the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. There are a few surprises at the naming convention, mainly that it dropped the “6” – maybe to signify that it is the first of its kind.

Of the Galaxy S6, we already know a lot about, mainly from the numerous leaks that have come out regarding the new and upcoming smartphone. Samsung is slated to unveil the new flagship on the first week of March at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona.

Until then, we all would have to hold our collective breath to see if Samsung would indeed come out with the Galaxy S Edge at the MWC stage just barely over a month from now. Barring a denial from Samsung, we kinda expect it to be so. Are you guys excited?

SOURCE: Galaxy Club

Story Timeline

• New leak gives more details about upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6


• Galaxy S6 rumored to have glass back and no replaceable battery


• Samsung Galaxy S6 probably not waterproof

Google Fiber expanding to four more cities

Google has announced that it is set to expand its Google Fiber internet offering into for more locations in the US. The expansion will bring high-speed fiber optic internet service to Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, NC, and Nashville. The expansion plans come from two people who claim to be familiar with the plans Google has in the works.

This means that as of now the expansion plans haven’t been announced officially. Google did send official invites out to news organizations in those four cities to attend events that will be held this week. Those events are undoubtedly where the official announcements will come about the expansion.

Events in Atlanta and Nashville are set for Tuesday with Raleigh and Charlotte set for Wednesday, and Durham on Thursday. Google has offered no official comments on the events at this time other than to send out invites. Officials in the cities also haven't offered comments on the rumor.

Google has said in the past that it was considering building Fiber service in other parts of the country including Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Phoenix, Portland, Ore. and San Jose, Calif. Google hasn't confirmed plans for launch in any of those cities, but hasen't ruled them out.

SOURCE: WSJ

Sheriffs ask Google to take down police feature on Waze

More and more people are relying on traffic reporting app Waze to navigate their way around the city because of its real-time and crowd-sourcing nature. People update it regularly to report on traffic jams, car-congested areas so that drivers (and even commuters) know which roads to avoid. But another feature of the Google-powered app is causing unease among the law enforcement community as some officers believe this can be used to "stalk" their police officers.

Waze users can report on the app the presence of police officers in certain areas. Though there is no explanation why the police are there (hey, they might just be on a coffee break or something), most do it to avoid overspeeding when they reach that point and so they will not get ticketed. However, some sheriffs believe that this can be used by some people to "stalk" these officers and use the information for various nefarious reasons. Law enforcement officials are asking Google to remove this feature from Waze and be the "responsible corporate citizen they have always been" even before any untoward incidents will occur.

"I can think of 100 ways that it could present an officer-safety issue. There’s no control over who uses it," says Jim Pasco, Executive Director of the Fraternal Order of the Police. He explains that if you're planning to rob a bank, you just need to check Waze to make sure that there are no officers around. Or if you're planning to specifically confront the police, you can just look for wherever they are nearest you.

While these concerns may be valid, given the tense relations between citizens and the police in some areas like Ferguson and New York, they may be overreacting to some extent. In fact, a lot of people use this police spotting feature to avoid them, rather than stalking them. There has been no response from Google as of this moment, but let's wait and see how they will react to it.

VIA: SlashGear

Story Timeline

• Waze founder says Google paid $1.15 billion


• Waze update adds contacts from phone, send location


• Waze update brings Places, Parking Pins