Tesla App designers prefer Android Wear over Apple Watch

Apple may be trying to attack a niche portion of the wearable market by creating a more “premium” option, but premium hardware doesn’t always equate to blissful software. The developers of the Tesla app for the Apple Watch found that out in their latest project.

According to them, Google approached Tesla to create an app for Android Wear after seeing they’d done one for the Apple Watch. They accepted Google’s challenge, and more than just create a beautiful app for which to control your Tesla smart car, they laid out a wealth of impressions about the development experience and differences between the two platforms.

Here’s a spoiler for you: they like Android Wear. A lot. Their love for it comes from the fact that it’s a much more open platform to work with compared to Apple Watch. Where Apple limits developers on API access and low-level device integration, Tesla found it refreshing that Android Wear gave them nearly everything they needed.

Perhaps their most favorite thing was being able to experiment with unique user interface tricks — apparently things are quite restricted in that regard on iOS. They also wondered how the Apple Watch could only manage 18 hours of battery life on such a limited platform compared to 2 days on many of the smart watches that run Android Wear.

Things weren’t all peachy for the Tesla team on Android Wear. Here are a few complaints they had:

• Voice activation is too slow of a process. Their suggestion to Google is to allow developers control over the command after the initial “OK Google” to cut down on the 2-3 second pauses needed between each part of the command.


• While better than the Apple Watch, battery life could still be improved. They love Pebble in that regard.


• Thin documentation — not a knock on the platform itself, but certainly something that can mar the development experience.

But even with all that, they believe Google has done a fine job with Android Wear and can’t wait to see where it goes from here on out. Be sure to read their full thoughts on Android Wear development and what went into the new Tesla app over at Eleks Lab.

Some Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge units shipping with tiny scratches all over the display

When manufacturers churn out hundreds of thousands of devices in order to meet demand, occasionally a bad egg or two makes it past quality control. It’s not uncommon to have one, maybe even a few defective devices slip out when your phone is as popular as say, the Samsung Galaxy S6. So it’s not too surprising to find that some brand new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge customers have discovered some oddities with their shiny new devices, fresh out of the box.

It’s not #bendgate (thankfully), but as highlighted by XDA Developers, a handful of forum members have discovered what appears to be tiny scratches all over their “new” Galaxy S6 Edge displays. It’s a pattern not too unlike the swirl marks you might find on your car’s clear coat. It’s not clear how they got there, or how wide spread the issue is at the moment, but it’s definitely something you wouldn’t expect to find when unwrapping a 0+ piece of tech. The uploader also makes mention of dead pixels being present when the display is turned on.

Keep in mind out-of-the-box defects like this aren’t unique the Galaxy S6 Edge. Even the folks at iFixit found a scratched display on their freshly unwrapped HTC One M9 (complete with a dead pixel). Like any out-of-the-box defects, issues like this should be taken up with the retailer from whence it came, which happens to be T-Mobile who began shipping out the Samsung Galaxy S6 ahead of its April 10th launch date. There was a single report of an international model also arriving in this same condition, but that could be more isolated.

We should note: this defect seems to only affect the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge — not the regular flat Samsung Galaxy S6. In any case, now would be a good time to check your device out under a lamp or direct sunlight. Anyone find something similar on their Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge unit?

[XDA]

Man uses Samsung Gear VR to virtually attend the birth of his child over 2,400 miles away [VIDEO]

While you’re still thinking up reasons why you should pick up one of the soon-to-be-many VR headsets available on the market, one man was able to watch the birth of his child in 360-degrees. Over the weekend, Samsung Australia uploaded a video to YouTube showing how they were able to bring a man — over 2,485 miles away — closer to his family using the Samsung Gear VR headset.

It’s what Samsung is calling the world’s first “live virtual reality birth” using the Samsung Gear VR. Once strapped in, the man was able to watch the entire birth of his child live, in stunning virtual reality, almost as if he were in the room. Of course, it would take a great deal of effort to set something like this up and as Samsung notes, requires more than just a headset (360-degree camera, streaming equipment, Galaxy Note 4).

Not matter what your thoughts on virtual reality are, you have to admit — that’s pretty damn cool. The 6-minute emotional video can be found below. Bring a tissue.

Samsung bags over 20 million pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge represent the most bold and exciting design change we’ve yet to witness in the history of the series. One look at our hands-on should at least pique your curiosity. Surely this would incite a feeling of excitement within a lot more people than ever before, and Samsung has the numbers to prove that it does.

According to Korea Times, Samsung has confirmed that a combined 20 million+ units of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have been pre-ordered. More specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S6 commands an overwhelming majority of that number with 15 million units, while the Edge variant accounts for about 5 million. Those are record numbers for the South Korean technology giant, but if those numbers seem strangely high to you there’s a reason for that.

It’s important to note that Samsung doesn’t exactly consider a sell-through situation (that is, a situation where a customer actually purchases a phone) a pre-order. Instead, they’re referring to the many carriers and retailers that place orders for the phone based on the early demand they’re seeing from their consumers.

Why’s that important? Well, if you don’t recall, Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-sales were pegged at a whopping 4 million. Inconceivable to think Samsung could lap those results more than 3 times over, no? That’s because Apple reports pre-sales as devices that were actually bought by the consumer instead of carrier and retail partners. The fact that consumer pre-sales for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge haven’t yet commenced at most major retailers and carriers also supports that notion.

Still, selling 20 million units of inventory to carriers and retailers before the device’s April 10th launch is a good sign that this will no doubt be Samsung’s most successful phone. And considering the company’s mobile division hasn’t had the happiest of times we’re sure it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Let us know if you’ll be planning to snatch up one of those 20 million handsets once they’re made available April 10th.

2 more LG G4 teasers get us worked up over its Quantum IPS display and f/1.8 camera [VIDEOS]

LG has been teasing the sh*t out the G4. In another round of their quick 15-second ad spots (we already saw the G4’s leather back and UX 4.0 features), the South Korean manufacturer reminds us again that their IPS “Quantum” display will make our eyes bleed, and that their camera has an f/1.8 aperture to capture… you know, buildings and stuff.

You can check them out below but at this point we’re just ready for them to make this thing official like Sony did with the Sony Xperia Z4. Just. Announce it. Already.

Last chance to save over 50% on wireless feather Bluetooth earbuds from AndroidArea.com

Only two days remain to pick up a pair of featherlight wireless Bluetooth earbuds at a special discount through AndroidArea.com. This compact set of headphones doesn’t skimp on features with its tangle-free design (don’t worry, only a short chord tethers the two earbuds to each other), noise-canceling shell, and a built-in microphone for voice calls.

These earbuds make a great companion for any smartphone user. Less inherently dorky than a standard Bluetooth earpiece, they are perfect for listening to your favorite music or making a call. Optional ear hooks keep them in place and insure an effortless fit. You might just forget you are wearing them.

Normally priced at , you can pick up your own for only .99. You better act quick, though. In less than 48 hours this offer will evaporate.

Last chance to save over 75% on Anonymizer’s Universal VPN service at AndroidArea.com

Is the government spying on you? Are you paranoid about identity theft? Did you snub an elite hacker, giving them every reason to make your life miserable? Are you too cheap to afford at-home WiFi, instead opting for insecure public networks? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you might consider taking advantage of over 75% savings on an Anonymizer Universal VPN three-year subscription. The deal is available through AndroidArea.com now, but won’t be much longer.

Save on Anonymizer Universal subscription at AndroidArea.com

A VPN connection is the secure way to mask your internet activity and physical location by routing your web traffic through a remote server, in this case the secure servers of Anonymizer. They’ve been around for over 19 years, so you can trust these guys to know what they are doing. You’ll get unlimited bandwidth at high speeds. This ain’t your daddy’s slow VPN.

Anonymizer can support up to five devices at once, including your Android smartphone. When you are done browsing no record of your online activity is stored, and you can rely on Anonymizer for 24-hour, US-based support.

If this were any other day you could expect to pay 0 for such a subscription. But it’s not any other day. It’s the last day of our sale at AndroidArea.com, and you can get signed up with your own Anonymizer account for a mere . We did the math: over three years, that’s only .05 per day. You can take off the tinfoil hat now.

Threes! abruptly removed from Google Play over policy violation

If you’re looking for the hit puzzle game Threes! on the Google Play Store — you wont find it. It’s gone. Threes! developer Asher Vollmer revealed today that his game has officially been removed from the Play Store over his use of the term “2048” (another popular puzzle game based off of Threes!) in the app’s description.

Also known as keyword stuffing or spam, the practice is strictly prohibited on Google Play, something we talked about in a previous post back when Google first introduced the changes to their developer policies late last year. While it’s easy to feel little sympathy for the developer, the sudden take down of Threes! — which had amassed hundreds of thousands of downloads worldwide — seems to have occurred without warning.

If nothing else, this high profile app/game suspension once again highlights Google’s need for better developer relations. You can read more about our thoughts on that topic right here.

Download on Google Play: Threes! (no longer available)

Deal: Get over $500 worth of Arduino goodies for just $75

If you’re someone who likes to tinker with computers and mod your own devices you’ve probably heard about Arduino. Arduino is a company that designs and manufactures kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control the physical world. The kits can be configured to do many different things, but that is up to your imagination.

Getting started with Arduino can be a little daunting. After all, there is a lot you can do with it. We’ve got a great deal that will get you the hardware you need, plus a lot of valuable help. For a limited time you can get over 0 worth of Arduino goodies for just from AndroidArea.com. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Arduino Starter Kit ( value)


• Arduino Step-by-Step ‘Your Guide to the Internet of Things’ Course (0 value)


• Arduino ‘Make a Remote-Controlled Car’ Course (0 value)


• Beginning Arduino ‘Make Your Own Environment Monitor System’ Course (0 value)

That’s a pretty insane deal. If you’re interested in getting started with Arduino this is a great time to do it. The deal ends in 6 days, so don’t wait too long to snag it.

Deal: Complete Arduino Starter Kit & Course Bundle

Amazon Fire Phone update brings Android 4.4 KitKat and over 10 new features

Amazon Fire Phone owners might not be a plentiful bunch, but those who are rocking the phone as proud as can be will be happy to know a new upgrade is headed your way. The upgrade brings Fire OS’s base platform version up to Android 4.4 KitKat.

It sounds a bit silly to get excited about KitKat when Lollipop is out, but you have to remember that Fire OS is a completely independent platform that Amazon customizes to the bone. Having KitKat vs Lollipop wouldn’t stand to make much of a difference if Amazon is going to customize them to have exactly the same base functionality.

Along with the more recent version of Android, there are over 10 new features on tap. Here’s what to expect:

• Support for Bluetooth Low Energy: Fire phone now supports Bluetooth Low Energy technology. To learn more, go to Connect to Bluetooth.


• Change the wallpaper on the Home screen: You can now change the Home screen wallpaper to a different color or use your own image. To learn more, go to Change the Home Screen Wallpaper.


• Lock screen notification improvements: View previews of new notifications on the lock screen and manage which apps can show previews on the lock screen. To learn more, go to View & Manage Notifications.


• Additional keyboard options: Amazon’s keyboard now includes color emoji. Choose from hundreds of emoji characters to make your e-mail and multimedia messages fun and personal. You can also change the default keyboard on your Fire phone with another compatible keyboard downloaded from the Amazon Appstore. To learn more, go to Customize Your Language & Keyboard.


• Convert video clips into lenticular images and set HDR to auto: Record video clips and automatically convert them into a lenticular image to share with others or use on the lock screen. With HDR turned to auto, your phone’s camera also determines whether a scene needs HDR and captures it to create a rich, detailed image. To learn more, go to Take Photos & Personal Videos.


• Smarter calling options: Manage up to five people on a conference call, delete all previous calls in your history, and more. To learn more, go to Make & Receive Phone Calls.


• Messaging improvements: Delete or forward multiple messages in a conversation, swipe to delete conversations in your Inbox, and modify your messaging settings with new options, such as the ability to change the text size of your messages. To learn more, go to Send, Read & Manage Messages.


• Choose different colors for calendar events: If you have multiple e-mail accounts synced with your phone, you can assign a color for each account. When you select a new color for an account, your calendar events appear in that color. To learn more, go to General Settings for Email, Contacts, and Calendar.


• Print from your Fire phone: You can now print personal documents, e-mails, contact details, and calendar events from your Fire phone to your compatible HP, Epson, or Canon printers. To learn more, go to Print From Your Fire Phone.


• Enhanced enterprise features: With support for secure work Wi-Fi networks, single sign-on for corporate networks, and AES-256 bit hardware encryption, your Fire phone is ready for more work. To learn more, go to Protect Your Fire Phone with Encryption and Set Up a VPN.


• Accessibility improvements: Easily manage your closed caption settings across the device and enjoy new Screen Reader features—such as independent volume controls and faster reading speed options—when you use the accessibility options on your Fire phone. To learn more, go to Accessibility Features.


• Bug fixes and user interface improvements: Dozens of other bug fixes and user interface improvements.’

You can find instructions on how to get your phone updated to the latest version — which is Fire OS 4.6.1 — right here. And if you’re somehow in the market for one don’t forget you can always buy them pretty cheap from Amazon’s online storefront.

[via Amazon]

Google Hangouts has been pre-installed over 1 billion times

When an application crosses a billion installs on the Google Play Store, it always sounds like a big deal. It’s an illustrious club that few belong to. Apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and more recently, Facebook Messenger, have all joined the 1 billion downloads club and that’s saying something. Most of those apps had to be physically downloaded (not all the time, but mostly) by Android users before they could hit that milestone.

Then there are a handful of Google apps that are also apart of this club. Apps like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Search. You know, the apps that stand in the back of the room with their embroidered blazers, smoking their pipes, telling stories about how they easily joined up because of their family name. These are the apps that already come pre-installed on your Android device before you even take it out of the box. It should come as little surprise to anyone that another app from Google’s software suite is joining that list, with Google Hangouts now crossing the 1 billion downloads mark.

If nothing else, this milestone — which, by the way, means nothing — points a spotlight directly on an app that is in bad need of an overhaul. With more than a billion “installs,” we think it’s time Google finally gives Hangouts a little TLC. Giving the app a new coat of paint with Material design and bringing it up to speed with its iOS counterpart (which has the ability to send video clips) would be a nice start. Can you think of anything else you’d like to see in a Hangouts refresh?

Hangouts (Playboard) | Hangouts (Play Store)

Amazon is offering 22 Android apps and games worth over $50 for free, including Monument Valley

Fancy some free games and apps that normally cost you coin? Amazon has a bundle of them going for free today. There are 22 in all, and buying the whole lot would normally set you back just over .

So what’s on tap? Some real gems in the games department, for one. We’ve got both Monument Valley and A Bard’s Tale as highlights of the show. The former is a charming puzzler/platformer that challenges your brain in many different ways, while Bard’s Tale is vast RPG that’ll deliver dozens of hours of entertainment.

Here’s the full list:

• Knock-Knock


• Alarm Clock Pro


• Monument Valley


• Simply Yoga


• Table Top Racing


• Weather Live


• Exiles


• AirReceiver


• Fantastic 4 in a Row 2


• AVG AntiVirus Pro


• Mirroring360


• No Gravity


• Trouserheart


• Quell Memento


• TinyCam Monitor Pro


• The Bard’s Tale


• MACE


• Endless Skater


• Deep Under the Sky


• Airport Mania 2: Wild Trips


• Monkey Racing


• Crazy Rocket


• Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst

Sound good? The downloads are waiting for you at Amazon (you’ll have to get the APK through the Amazon app, which can be sideloaded here) so be sure to grab what you want before the deal goes away!