Sony’s upcoming Sound Bars and A/V receivers feature Google Cast functionality, launching this May

Hot on the heels of Sony’s 4K Ultra HDTV announcement, the manufacturer is following up with a few new details on their upcoming 2015 soundbars and A/V receivers. While not normally Android-related news, a couple of Sony’s new soundbars (along with both of their new A/V receivers) feature Google Cast technology built right in, meaning you can “cast” any audio streams from apps like Google Play Music straight to the speakers themselves.

Here are the new soundbars and A/V receivers launching in May and July:

Sony Sound Bars

• HT-ST9 (July) ,500 – Comes with a wireless subwoofer and features 800 watts and 7.1 channel surround sound from seven amplifiers and nine speakers and a wireless, front-firing subwoofer with passive radiator. There are 3 HDMI inputs along with Bluetooth reception and transmission so you can enjoy music/movies with your Bluetooth headphones. Sony’s LDAC technology provides enhanced wireless listening for all music with compatible products. Sound was tuned by Academy Award-winning Sony Pictures engineers and is Hi-Res capable. Also supports Google Cast and Spotify Connect.


• HT-NT3 (July) 0 – Hi-Res Sound Bar with 2.1 channel audio and wireless subwoofer with 450 watts of power. Also incorporates Sony LDAC technology, single HDMI connection with 3 HDMI inputs, and audio streaming with Bluetooth and NFC connections. Google Cast ready.


• HT-CT780 (May) 0 – 330 watt 2.1 Sound Bar with wireless subwoofer and wall-mount. Features 3 HDMI inputs with one supporting 4K with HDCP 2.2, HDMI TV connectivity with Audio Return Channel support.


• HT-CT380 (May) 0 – 300 watt 2.1 Sound Bar with wireless subwoofer and Bluetooth/NFC support. Like the CT780, it can also be mounted on the wall.

Sony A/V Receivers

• STR-DN860 (May) 0 – Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver offers 7.2 channels and 165 watts of power per channel. Also comes with 4K resolution upscaling and pass-through, flexible connectivity with ten HD inputs, support for two separate powered zones, and hi-res audio compatibility. Wireless connectivity includes streaming of music with built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth reception and transmission, along with support for Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and Spotify Connect.


• STR-DN1060 (May) 0 – 7.2 channel Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver offers 7.2 channels and 150 watts of power, Wi-Fi music streaming, Bluetooth reception and transmission, Google Cast for Audio and Apple AirPlay. Adjust settings, change inputs, and confirm volume levels on-screen using graphical user interface, refined remote control, or SongPal App.

In case you missed it, we wanted to remind you that of Sony’s 4 soundbars, only the HT-ST9 and HT-NT3 feature Google Cast functionality, as well as both of their new receivers. If home audio is your thing, Sony’s new products should be an interesting prospect.

[Press Release]

YouTube sends notice to content creators about upcoming ad-free subscription service

We’ve heard for quite some time now that YouTube wanted to explore an ad-free subscription service. The concept is simple: you pay money, you don’t get annoying ads at the beginning, end or sometimes middle of a video.

Google has been hesitant come out and confirm anything, but it looks like they’ve finally let the cat out of the bag. Several partnered YouTubers have reported receiving emails from the company informing them of a forthcoming subscription service that will allow their viewers to pay good coin to dodge those annoying ads that play when you watch a video.

The email was scarce on any details about the service such as cost, but Google did note that partners would be able to get in on the new revenue stream (which was the whole reason for them sending this notice — it will create significant changes to the company’s standing terms of service policies).

Google is already providing a similar option in the same ballpark called the YouTube Music Key. It’s a per month service that lets users access music videos ad-free, as well as cache them for offline viewing should an internet connection fail to be available. Extending a similar service for the entirety of the video content on YouTube would be a big deal for those who absolutely loathe having to view ads (even if most of them can be skipped after 5 seconds).

The timing of the announcement might indicate that Google is getting ready to pilot the service this year, though without any hard details your guess is just as good as ours. We imagine any formal announcements will be saved for Google IO so stay tuned!

[via Bloomberg]

Sony’s upcoming 4K Ultra HDTVs powered by Android TV available for pre-order, launching this May

Sony is officially announcing pricing and availability of their upcoming 4K Ultra HD televisions powered by Android TV. We got a look at one of these models — the X900C — during CES 2015 a few months back with its ultra-thin profile. It was definitely slim up at the top, but not the bottom half where all the television’s components were. Still, we were mostly impressed by what we saw (even if Android TV didn’t take advantage of all those pixels).

All of the 2015 televisions come equipped with Sony’s new “4K Processor X1″ on the computing side of things and although they run Android TV, Sony has added some of their own software features on top. The TVs also include future compatibility with PlayStation Now for the streaming of select PlayStation 3 games using a DualShock 4 controller for input.

There are 6 total new 4K Ultra HDTV models, but only 4 of them going up for pre-order starting today. Here’s what we’re looking at:

Sony 4K Ultra HDTV

X830C (May)

• 43-inch: ,300


• 49-inch: ,600

X850C (May)

• 55-inch: ,200


• 65-inch: ,500


• 75-inch: ,000

X930C (May)

• 65-inch: ,500

X940 (May)

• 75-inch: ,000

X900C (this summer)

• 55-inch: TBA


• 65-inch: TBA

X910C (this summer)

• 75-inch: TBA

Once again, the Sony’s new 4K Android TV-powered televisions — along with their 2K TVs as well (R510C, W800C, W850C) — are up for pre-order starting today, with the exception of the X900C and X910C. Should you feel like waiting a bit, you’ll be able to purchase the televisions online in May at the Sony Store, Amazon, Best Buy or other authorized dealers across the country.

Keep in mind if you opt for one of Sony’s lower resolution 2K televisions, only the W850C and W800C series feature Android TV, the R510C does not. Check out our hands-on of the X900C down below.

[Sony]

Upcoming API will allow any developer to show Google Now cards

Google’s already shown hints of expanded Google Now functionality through the use of third-party apps, but not everyone was invited to the party. A select group of developers were let in on the fun this past January, but what about the little guys who might not be recognized as a “top developer” and couldn’t build this functionality into their apps?

According to a Google rep speaking at South by Southwest (SXSW) this morning, that will soon change. Aparna Chennapragada, Google’s director of product manager for Google Now, told of an upcoming open API that developers would be able to tap into in order to provide Google Now cards where and if they make sense.

Unfortunately that’s the extent of any known details. There’s no word on how soon this will be available or what sort of freedom developers would have in supporting Google Now cards. We did get a morsel of information about a forthcoming Google Now card that might show queue times for your favorite attractions at a theme park, though, so there’s that.

If Google Now wasn’t already one of the most informative, useful and fun tools baked into Android, then it’s sure to become all of that and more once developers can make their own cards.

[via NextWeb]

Sprint announces upcoming cities getting ‘Direct 2 You’ traveling reps, now open to new or existing customers

We thought that maybe if we had time to stew it over a little bit, Sprint’s Direct 2 You program would make a little more sense to us. But here we are, a little over a month later and it still sounds like a really strange to move to us. Not bad, mind you. Just strange for a carrier struggling to keep that #3 spot in the US.

In either case, Sprint has announced the next few cities that will benefit from their traveling representatives. Direct 2 You will officially become available in New York City, San Francisco, and Denver starting June 1st. Sprint says their “Xperts” (reps) bring the full in-store “Xperience” straight into the confines of your home. Getting up off the couch to make a trip across town is now obsolete.

The service is completely free, and where it was previously only available to Sprint customers in Kansas City, Miami, and Chicago looking to upgrade their devices (and needing help with setup), it’s now opened to anyone. That means even if you’re currently on T-Mobile and have your heart set on switching to Sprint, Direct 2 You can be at your door in a jiffy.

All you have to do is schedule an appointment by calling Sprint’s 800 number (which can be found at sprint.com/direct2you) and pick the time and place you’d like a Sprint rep to meet with you and give the rundown on your new phone. Sprint says some people have even set up appointments in hotel lobbies or restaurants, so just about anyplace is fair game. Now that’s service.

[Sprint]

Google Play’s upcoming Family section makes finding kid-friendly content easier than ever

We’ve had more than a few clues that Google was fixin’ to announce a new kid-friendly section of the Google Play Store. They’ve definitely been focusing on family oriented apps with the recent launch of YouTube kids and their acquisition of Launchpad Toys, a studio responsible for popular apps for kids on iOS.

The biggest clue came last week when we discovered Google’s “Designed for Families” program, a special program for developers that allows them to submit their apps for additional review so that they’ll be labeled as family-friendly in the Play Store.

According to Google, more than 1/3 of Android users in the US are parents with a kids under the age of 12. It’s because of this, Google finally took the wraps off their latest project aimed at families, a new family home section coming soon to the Google Play Store.

The new page offers a handful of tools parents can use to help discover family-friendly content for their kids. First up is the “Family star,” Google’s little green star icon that highlights family-friendly apps, games, movies, and books in the Play Store. The family home section also allows parents to search for content based on their age group, showing only filtered family-friendly results.

Because generally kids like looking for content based on their favorite characters or shows, they can now browser for content based on characters like Dora the Explorer, or My Little Pony. Apps and games features in family home (which undergo a manual review process) all feature objective 3rd party content ratings (like ESRB ratings) and are labeled when they’re ad-supported.

Google says that with a new set of parental controls stronger password protection for in-app purchases, Android is more fantastic than ever for families looking to keep a watchful eye over their kids digital playtime.

Groupon To Go is an upcoming online ordering platform that looks to give GrubHub, OrderUp a run for their money

Groupon was all the rage when it launched back in 2008, one of the internet’s first daily deals sites that offered up discounted gift certificates on local food or activities. A few years later, the company began to fizzle out, reporting quarterly losses in the millions of dollars range.

Recently, we’ve seen Groupon branch out its business into new areas with a new app called Snap by Groupon that rewards shoppers with real cash instead of coupons. But it appears that’s not all Groupon has up their sleeve, with a new online ordering platform called “Groupon To Go” set to kick off sometime in the near future.

It doesn’t appear Groupon has made anything official yet, but the landing site is already live. There aren’t any deals populating it quite yet, but we discovered Groupon is already hiring To Go management positions in the Chicago area and recently picked up a trademark for their service so we’d imagine it’s coming very soon.

Once launched, Groupon To Go will let users search for local businesses offering up delivery in their area. It’s not too unlike services like GrubHub or OrderUp with Groupon acting as the middle man by digitizing participating restaurants’ menus and giving them their own business page on Groupon.com.

Once orders are received, Groupon will send them to businesses either by fax, email, or through their online merchant center. If restaurants want to further drive business, they can even create deals that will be broadcasted across Groupon’s online site, email news letters, and mobile apps.

It’s an interesting entry into the food delivery market and with Groupon’s already huge user base, should be enticing to both customers and businesses alike. We expect to learn more once the service officially launches, but in the meantime, you can watch their promo video for business on Vimeo.

ZTE doesn’t want you to know they made the upcoming Axon Phone with 4GB RAM, launches July in the US

While it’s not uncommon for Chinese smartphone maker ZTE to launch an Android device here in the US, high-end handsets are another story entirely. The company, who has reportedly been sending invites out for a mysterious July 14th event in New York, is planning to launch a new smartphone, something they’re calling the Axon Phone. They even launched a new website for the device. Oddly enough, you wont find any mention of ZTE on the site, but the folks at PCMag did some digging and found out that the domain was registered by ZTE back in 2012.

In either case, the ZTE Axon Phone is an interesting handset, probably the most compelling smartphone we’ve seen from the manufacturer. Launching in a variety of colors — Phthalo Blue (don’t even try saying that out loud), Ion Gold, or Chromium Silver — it features a rather unique speaker grill design on the front. According to the branding on the back, it seems this Axon Phone was designed right here in the good ‘ol US of A.

You’ll also notice a dual-camera setup on the back, which — like we saw on the HTC One M8 — is supposed to help boost auto-focus speeds and allow users to refocus pictures after they’ve been shot. There’s also mention of both high fidelity audio recording and playback, presumably from those fancy stereo front facing speakers. Another interesting aspect is the phone is the custom UI, which — unlike ZTE’s usual efforts — actually doesn’t make us want to throw up in our own mouths. We posted a few screenshots for you to take a look at below.

Other hardware details are scarce, but the site does mention 4GB of RAM, an unspecified “lightning fast” processor, and large battery. You can visit the site right now if you want to be notified when Axon Phone officially becomes available where they’re even throwing a contest that will get you a free device along with the prospect of a ,000 grand prize. Source link provided below.

[AxonPhone]

Leaked Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus cases confirm upcoming design

Samsung is gearing up to launch XL versions of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Better known as the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, it’s now being rumored that the Edge version could go by the name Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ (Plus) according to a recent trademark filing. We know, it’s a tad confusing and if there was any doubt that these devices would essentially look like bigger versions of the regular S6/Edge, freshly leaked case photos — and even a CAD render — are giving us a look at that now familiar S6 design.

Both cases look almost identical to the regular-sized S6 and S6 Edge, only you’ll notice small cutouts on the Note 5 case (bottom 2 images) for the included S Pen. The images come from MobileDirect, a Romanian accessory maker who’s accurately leaked devices in the past.

Right now, rumors point to the Galaxy Note 5 as coming equipped with a 5.98-inch 4K Quad HD display, Exynos 7422 processor, USB Type-C port, and a beefy 4,100mAh battery. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be much smaller with a 5.5-inch screen, Snapdragon 808 processor, and 16MP rear/5MP front facing cameras. We’re still not sure when Samsung plans on making the devices official, but if history has taught us anything, we expect both of them to be revealed during IFA in September.

[USPTO | @OnLeaks | PhoneArena]