Snapchat update now shows friendship status using emoji, says they will change your life

Snapchat is quietly rolling out an update to their popular messaging application. The app now shows you the status of your friendship using “Friend Emoji,” these are little emoji that appear right along side your most frequently chatted contacts. You wont find any announcement post on their blog, with Snapchat revealing the news via the Discovery section in their app. Here’s the full skinny according to TechCrunch:

• (Gold Heart): You’re #1 Best Friends – The person you send snaps to most sends snaps to you most too


• (Grimace/Grit Teeth): You Have A Mutual #1 Best Friend – The person you send snaps to most is also who this person sends snaps to most


• (Smile): One Of Your Best Friends – This is one of the people you send snaps to most


• (Sunglasses): You Have A Mutual Best Friend – One of the people you send snaps to most is also one of the people this person sends snaps to most


• (Smirk): You’re Their Best Friend But They’re Not Yours – You’re one of the people they send snaps to most, but they’re not one of the people you send snaps to most


• (Fire): You Two Are On A Snapstreak – You and this person have sent snaps back and forth for the number of consecutive days shown

You can see how these little emoji might easily stir up needless drama in someone’s life. Maybe not for us adults, but in the countless teens who might be offended to find out their real-life bestie isn’t, in fact, their Snapchat bestie.

Snapchat is also introducing a new low light button (iOS only) that automatically appears in the camera portion of their app to slow down the shutter and brighten up dark photos. In addition to “Recents,” there’s also a new “Needs Love” section reminding you to send Snaps to contacts you previously messaged frequently, but haven’t messaged in awhile.

Despite its popularity, Snapchat is still one of the most convoluted applications we’ve ever used and this latest update certainly isn’t helping matters any. The app often times leaves the user guessing on what some of the basic functions are, and today’s update doesn’t help matters any.

Then again, this has probably contributed to the app’s “viral” nature and could be the reason why it appeals so much with our youth. You just wouldn’t understand.

Pebble Time Steel is a classier watch with even better battery life

Just one week ago we saw the announcement of Pebble Time, a new smartwatch from Pebble on Kickstarter. The Time boasts a brand new design, improved interface, color display, and the same great 7-day battery life. Many people are not fans of the Pebble Time’s “amateurish” design, but it still sold like crazy. Today Pebble has announced a new steel version of the Time.

The Pebble Time Steel looks a lot like the original Pebble Time, except it’s made out of stainless steel and comes with leather and metal bands. It’s amazing how much nicer this version looks. The Time Steel has a few more improvements as well. It’s 1mm thicker than the original Time, which gives it room for a bigger battery, and battery life up to 10 days. No other smartwatch on the market can come close to competing with that.

The display is laminated on the Steel Time, which should make the color e-paper look even better. Pebble has also added a nice subtle texture to the buttons. You can back the Pebble Time Steel on Kickstarter for 0 right now (will be 9 at launch). They’ve put the Time Steel in the same campaign, which means if you already backed the Time you can switch your pledge to the Steel. You’ll have your choice of black, silver, or gold.

Pebble also announced Smartstraps, a way for hardware manufacturers to add tech to watch straps. Things like NFC, GPS, heart rate monitors, and even extra battery can be built into a Smartstrap. Pebble hasn’t actually made any Smartstraps of their own, but they’ve released the schematics for other manufacturers to start building. It’s a really cool idea if it catches on. Are you going to back the Pebble Time Steel?

Google’s new Chromebook Pixel has 2 Type-C USB ports and 12 hours of battery life

Google has refreshed the Chromebook Pixel, and set it inside their snazzy new online storefront. This 2015 refresh brings a number of very notable changes that will probably have you itching to upgrade.

The biggest is the inclusion of not one, but two USB Type-C ports. Why is that a big deal? To now, Apple’s new Macbook (announced at the same event we heard about the ridiculous Apple Watch price tags) was the only device known to launch with the next generation USB port.

USB Type-C is a flexible new standard that serves multiple functions. It’s a charging port for one, and can also be used as a high speed USB 3.1 port, video-out and more. It’s reversible, to boot, so there’s no need to make sure you’re plugging the cable in the right way — either side is the right side.

There are adapters available for purchase that’ll let you connect Type-A USB 1.0 to USB 3.0 products to the laptop (there are two Type-A USB 3.0 ports available so this might not even be necessary), as well as adapters for direct USB 3.1 Type-C to HDMI, MiniDisplay and other video-out standards. It’s a pretty big deal and we’re glad to see more and more products popping up with the technology.

That’s not all. The 2015 Chromebook Pixel gets a whopping 12 hours of battery life compared to the 5 hours promised in the previous generation. It’s also a bit thinner by 1mm, sports Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 mobile processors, and still looks downright gorgeous. Here’s the full spec sheet in case you’re wondering what, exactly, you’re in store for:

Dimensions

• 11.7” x 8.8” x 0.6” / 297.7mm x 224.55mm x 15.3mm

Weight

• 3.3 lbs/ 1.5 Kg

Screen

• 12.85″ display with a web-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio


• 2560 x 1700, at 239 PPI


• 400 nit screen


• 178° extra-wide viewing angle

Processor

• Intel® Core™ i5 Processor, 2.2GHz or Intel® Core™ i7 processor, 2.4GHz

Inputs

• Multi-touch screen


• Backlit Chrome keyboard


• Fully clickable, etched-glass trackpad

Battery

• Up to 12 hours of battery life¹

Ports & Connectors

• 2 USB Type-C (up to 5 Gbps data, 4K display out with optional HDMI or DisplayPort adapter, 60W charging)


• 2 USB 3.0 ports


• SD Card


• Headphone/Mic combo

Camera

• 720P HD Wide Angle camera with Blue Glass

Memory

• 8GB or 16GB

Storage

• 32GB or 64GB of Flash Storage²

Wireless

• 802.11ac Wireless with support for A/B/G/N/AC, 2.4 and 5ghz, 2×2 spatial streams


• Bluetooth 4.0 BR/EDR/LE Smart Ready controller

Audio

• High Power Stereo Speakers, Dual Microphones, Headset jack,


• Support for headset with microphone

Graphics

• Intel HD Graphics 5500 (Integrated)

Video

• Supports 4K video output over DisplayPort™™ or HDMI with optional Type-C video adapter cable

Charger

• Type-C USB Charger, new industry standard

Overkill for a laptop that basically runs nothing but a web browser? Possibly, but at least you’ll know you’re equipped with a device powerful enough to handle whatever innovations Google’s Chrome team comes up with next. And there’s always the ability to replace it with a Linux distribution if you’re handy enough to do something like that.

The 32GB storage, 8GB of RAM and Core i5 kit starts at a cool 9, while the 64GB storage, 16GB of RAM and Core i7 version will Cost about 0 more. Not bad for all the cutting edge goodness stuffed inside this portable package. The device ships a mere couple of days after placing your order so head to the Google Store to secure one if you’re interested.

Google announces Sidewalk Labs, their latest venture to help improve life for city dwellers

When they aren’t focused on bringing internet to the farthest reaches of the globe, or building robots and self-driving cars, Google is thinking of new problems to take on. Their latest venture is a startup called Sidewalk Labs and according to Google, it looks to improve city living by introducing new technologies to improve things like affordable housing, public transportation, pollution — basically anything and everything that irks city dwellers. Here’s a short blurb about Sidewalk Labs taken from their new webpage:

“We’re on the brink of a historic period for cities around the world. By 2050, the population in cities will double, intensifying existing socioeconomic, public health and environmental problems.

At the same time, innovations in technology can be used to design communities that are more efficient, responsive and resilient. Sidewalk Labs aims to foster the development of technology products, platforms and infrastructure that help improve life in cities around the world.”

The company — which Google calls a “modest investment — will be headed by Dan Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor of Economic Development and Rebuilding for the City of New York. Oh, and he just also happens to be the former CEO of Bloomberg. Like Google X and Calico, Google says Sidewalk Labs is another one of the company’s “10X bets.” Google’s Larry Page says he believes there are endless opportunities to improve life in urban environments while using technology to make make cities more “livable, flexible and vibrant.” You can find the full press release here.

[Google+]

Fallout 4 Special Edition will come with a real life Pip-Boy wearable that works with your Android phone

Fallout fans will appreciate this one. The special edition of Fallout 4 (read about the new game on Xbox One Daily) will come with a Pip-Boy arm attachment to use as a second screen accessory for the console title.

If you’re not aware, Pip-Boy was the smart watch of olden times. It’s big and clunky by today’s standards, but for those in the Fallout universe it’s a necessary tool that delivers information on your environment, enemies, your inventory and even your own vital health.

The attachment will work with your phone and show you information about the game in real time, so you can refer to it in a jiffy instead of pulling up the digital version in-game. You just drop your phone in (there will be foam inserts to customize the cradle for different smartphone sizes) and it’ll be just like the abomination you happen to find in the game.

But if you don’t plan to buy that 0 special edition you’ll be happy to know that the companion app can still be used with Fallout 4 just as it would inside the Pip-Boy. The app should be available the day the game launches (November 10th) so be sure to check Google Play for the download once it arrives.

[via TechCrunch]

HTC One M9 update brings improvements to camera, battery life and heat management

HTC is pushing out a new upgrade for the HTC One M9. It’s not a big overhaul of features or a new version of Android (we’re still on 5.0.2 here), but it does bring a number of important enhancements for crucial device features.

For starters, that all-important camera will be getting tweaks to make for better images. The changes include a better auto-exposure balance to make for better exposed shots. We’re also getting reduced noise and blur for low light photos, as well as the reduction of yellow and green hue in photos to make them more color accurate.

In areas of battery life, HTC has improved their Facebook and YouTube integration to make sure they’re sipping less power. Finally the company has improved smart charging to make sure the device doesn’t get too hot while it’s juicing up.

The upgrade is headed out to European devices starting today, while those in North America will have to wait a while longer. You’re looking for version 1.40.401.5, so check for it (carrier variants might not receive it right away) and let us know how it’s treating you on the other side.