Showing posts with label jaokomsot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jaokomsot. Show all posts

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Android 5.0 battery life: what's new, and what it can do for you

The most useful thing about Android 5.0 Lollipop isn’t the new look: it’s the improvements that mean your device’s battery will last a lot longer. Here’s why Lollipop will last for ages.

akku smartphone new format
Android 5.0 Lollipop delivers real improvements in battery life. / © ANDROIDPIT
Mobile technology is getting faster, cheaper and more impressive every year - the tech in a Google Wear smartwatch would have seemed amazing in a full-sized smartphone just a few years ago - but the Achilles' heel of any mobile device remains the battery. It’s not that battery tech isn’t improving; it’s that our ever-growing list of demands (faster broadband, bigger screens, MOAR PIXELS and so on) cancel out those improvements.

That’s why most smartphones still need to be charged every day, why smartwatches are lucky to last until it gets dark and why tablets are essentially enormous battery packs with touch screens glued to the front of them.

Wouldn’t it be great if upgrading your operating system gave you a better battery too? That’s exactly what Android 5.0 Lollipop promises. It turns out that Android’s codenames are pretty accurate: where you can lick all the chocolate off a KitKat in no time at all, Lollipops can be licked for an awful lot longer.

Power to the people: Android 5.0 Project Volta


projet volta android l economiseur batterie
Project Volta set out to make Android much less power hungry. / © AndroidPIT
The most significant change in Android 5.0 is Project Volta, the successor to Project Butter (which was designed to make Android’s interface run more smoothly) and to Project Svelte (which was designed to make Android work with less RAM). This time the focus is on battery life, and there are several key changes that should make your device less demanding.

One of the things Google discovered about Android was that just waking a device from sleep for a single second burned through two whole minutes of standby time. That’s because waking didn’t just turn the screen on: the processor wakes up too, and the radio goes on to check for incoming data. Project Volta created a new “JobScheduler” API that’s designed to reduce that by scheduling housekeeping and low-priority tasks more efficiently.

ART for ART’s sake


nexus4 androidl battery
In tests, the Android 5.0 L preview delivered 36% more battery life than KitKat. / © Google, ANDROIDPIT
The second important part is ART, the new runtime for Android apps. ART is faster and more efficient than the Dalvik runtime it replaces, and of course that means the device doesn’t have to work as hard - which in turn means it requires less power.

The excellent Ars Technica website decided to test Google’s claims with the Android L Developer Preview, and they found that for once, a tech firm wasn’t telling big fibs. With Battery Saver disabled - more about that in a moment - and Android L running on a well-used Nexus 5, battery life was up by a very impressive 36%. That’s a whole two hours more battery life.

The reason Ars didn’t enable Android L’s Battery Saver was because it has an effect on overall performance. When you enable it and your battery reaches 15% (or if you prefer, 5%), Battery Saver essentially applies the brakes to your device to eke out more battery life: it dims the screen, limits vibration and disables most background data so that apps don’t automatically update. Google reckons that on average, upgrading to Android 5.0 Lollipop and leaving Battery Saver on (it’s enabled by default) should give you an hour and a half of extra battery power.

Android 5.0’s big bad battery bug


Nexus5 Android5
Android's battery bug was bad enough to delay the launch on Nexus devices. / © Google
Given the many improvements to Android 5.0’s battery life, it’s a shame that the launch was almost immediately overshadowed by reports of a big battery bug: with Wi-Fi enabled on a Nexus 5, the bug would start sucking battery power like a thing that sucks things very hard. The good news is that the bug was reported as fixed on 6 November.

Doing it for the devs


One of the most important battery bits of Android 5.0 L is the one you won’t see unless you’re a developer: it’s called Battery Historian, and it gives app developers detailed information on how their apps will affect particular devices’ battery life. The hope is that instead of ignoring that information, developers will then ensure that their apps aren’t unnecessary power hogs. *cough* Facebook! *cough*

Other ways to boost battery life in Android 5.0 Lollipop


IMGL9157
Messaging apps can be particularly heavy on battery life. / © ANDROIDPIT
Android itself can only do so much: the biggest effect on battery life is of course the apps you use and how often you use them. Facebook isn’t the only battery botherer, although it tops the list of battery-draining Android apps put together by security firm AVG: manufacturers’ own apps tend to be battery hogs, as are social networking apps and games. AVG would quite like to sell you an app to help solve that problem, although of course you can address it yourself by being really selective with the apps you install (or keep, in the case of pre-installed ones) and what you let them do.

What do you think? If you’ve upgraded to Lollipop, has it delivered on its power promises?

 

Source fromhttp://www.androidpit.com

Saturday, November 8, 2014

110+ Google Now Voice Commands You Can Use

Google Now is Google’s answer to Siri. It is a smart, virtual, voice-enabled personal assistant developed by the search giant and acts as a handy add-on to the pure Android experience. It integrates well with Google’s services to provide you with updates and other information as per your preferences.


With Google Now, you become ‘Aladdin‘ while it is the ‘Genie of the magic lamp‘. All you need to do is say “Okay Google” to your device to open Google Now. Then, you say one of the magical voice commands to Google Now just as you were Aladdin making a wish. The microphone icon starts pulsing – giving you an indication that your phone (powered by Google Now) is listening. You give a command, and it does the required actions to complete the given task.

Let’s have a look at the collection of over more than a 100 ‘magical’ voice commands which provides you with touch-less control for your Android phone or tablet. The Voice commands below are categorized accordingly for easy navigation.


General Information



  • “Search for [WordPress hosting]?

  • “Say [where is the movie theatre] in [French]?”

  • “How do you say [hello] in [Spanish]?”

  • “What is [Android]?”

  • “Who invented [the computer]?”

  • “Define [contemporary]“

  • “What is the meaning of [world]?”

  • “Who is married to [Barack Obama]?”

  • “Stock price of [Google]“

  • “What is [Twitter] trading at?”

  • “Author of [Da Vinci Code]“

  • “How old is [Tom Cruise]?”

  • “Where was [Martin Luther King Jr.] born?”

  • “Show me pictures of [the Taj Mahal]“

  • “Post to Google+ [I'm loving it]“

  • “Post to Twitter [Google Now is awesome!]“




Applications



  • “Open [Calendar]“

  • “Launch [Hangouts]“

  • “Take a [picture / photo / selfie]“

  • “Record a video”


Notes & Reminders



  • “Remind me to [buy groceries] at [6 PM]“

  • “Remind me [when I get / next time I'm at] [home / work / other location] [to call John]“

  • “Note to self: [My password for Google.com is 123456]“


Alarms & Calendar



  • “Set an alarm for [6 AM]“

  • “Set a timer for [30 minutes]“

  • “Wake me up in [2 hours]“

  • “Create a calendar event: [Party with Colleagues] [Sunday at 9 PM]“

  • “When’s my [next meeting]?”

  • “What is my schedule for [tomorrow]?”




Time & Date



  • “What time is it in [San Francisco]?”

  • “When is the sunset [in London (optional)]“

  • “What is the timezone of [Hong Kong]“

  • “Time at [home / work]“


Communication



  • “Call [Sara]“

  • “Call [the Asian Art Museum]“

  • “Call [mom / dad / wife / uncle / aunt ...]” (Relationship must be added for your contacts)

  • “Send [email] to [Storm], [Subject: Meeting], [Message: Re-scheduled to 5PM]“

  • “Send [SMS] to [Sam mobile], [don't forget to buy movie tickets]“

  • “[Contact name]“

  • “Find [Sam's] [phone number / email / address]“

  • “Listen to voicemail”

  • “When is [Mary's] birthday?”


Weather



  • “Weather”

  • “What’s the weather like?”

  • “Do I need an umbrella today?”

  • “Is it going to rain [tomorrow / Monday]“

  • “What’s the weather in [California]?”

  • “How’s the weather in [New Jersey] on [Thursday] going to be?”




Maps & Navigation



  • “Map of [London]“

  • “Where’s my hotel?”

  • “Find the [Eiffel Tower]“

  • “Where is [the Louvre]“

  • “Show me the nearby [shopping mall] on map”

  • “Navigate to [London] on car”

  • “How far is [Washington] from [California]?”

  • “Directions to [address / business name / other destination]“

  • “What are some attractions in [New York City]?”


Calculations & Conversions



  • “[arithmetic expression] equals”

  • “How much is [10] times [15]?”

  • “What is [32] percent of [1024]?”

  • “Square root of [441]“

  • “What is the tip for [90] euros?”

  • “Convert [currency / length ...] to [another currency / length ...]“




Sports



  • “How are [the New York Yankees] doing?”

  • “When is the next [Los Angeles Lakers] game?”

  • “Show me the [Premier League] table”

  • “Did [Bayern Munich] win their last game?”


Flight Information



  • “Flight [AA 125]?”

  • “Flight status of [AA 125]“

  • “Has [LH 210] landed?”

  • “When will [AA 120] land / depart?”

  • “Show me my flights”




Web Browsing



  • “Go to [Tech Crunch]?”

  • “Open [hongkiat.com]“

  • “Show me [android.com]“

  • “Browse to [aksingh.net]“


Entertainment



  • “Listen to / play [Gangnam Style] by [PSY]?”

  • “YouTube [how to cook chicken]?”

  • “Who acted in [Clash of the Titans]?”

  • “Who is the producer of [Gladiator]?”

  • “When was [The Last Airbender] released?”

  • “Runtime of [Avatar]“

  • “Listen to TV”

  • “What’s this song?”

  • “What songs does [Britney] sing?”

  • “Play some music”

  • “Watch [Toy Story 2]“

  • “Read [the Aesop's Fables]“

  • “What movies are playing [tonight]?”

  • “Where is [Thor] playing?”




Others



  • “Help me”

  • “Where’s my package?” (tracking confirmation must be in Gmail)

  • “Show me the menu for [Los Cubanos]“


Easter Eggs



  • “When am I?”

  • “Do a barrel roll”

  • “What’s the loneliest number?”

  • “Make me a sandwich!”

  • “Sudo, make me a sandwich!”

  • “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”

  • “Beam me up, Scotty!”

  • “Tilt / Askew”

  • “Up up down down left right left right”

  • “Tea, Earl Grey, hot” (That’s a hard one)

  • “Go go gadget [app name]“

  • “When does the narwhal bacon?”

  • “What is the Bacon number of [random actor]?”

  • “What does the fox say?”

  • “What is the nature of the universe?”

  • “Who’s on first?”

  • “Lions, and Tigers, and Bears…”

  • “Who are you?”

  • “What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?”


Conclusion


Voice commands are not only useful in various situations, but they also prove to be fun sometimes. You can even experiment with various commands by using different phrases, and you’ll be surprised at how much Google Now understands you. Start using voice commands on your Android device and take a leap forward to the future of mobile technology.

 

Source fromhhttp://www.hongkiat.com

16 Premium Plugins Designer and Developer Should Consider Using

Crafting websites for all sorts of clients is an art. Like all art forms, it takes perseverance, open-mindedness, and an acute sense for aesthetics. Web developers and designers know this, along with the fact that all project outcomes are only as strong as the resources that stand behind them. In other words, the choice and use of creative assets can either undo your websites, or help you deliver flawless results.

Tons of plugins are currently available to you. Yet, you should always make sure to acquire up-to-date premium plugins, which are best equipped to assist your goals. Here, we’ve got 16 handy premium plugins for designers and developers. Ranging from plugins that assist with slides to e-commerce tools, you might discover that these could really help you out.


1. LayerSlider WP


The first plugin is LayerSlider, which scores high marks in my book, as it proved useful on more than one occasion. You can use this to make slideshows, image galleries, and content sliders.

Administrators are met with 13 clean skins, a drag-and-drop builder, as well as timeline view, and a real-time preview function for every move you make. There are many ways to establish the look and feel of your sliders.

You can choose any of the available 2D and 3D slide transitions (there are 200 preset options to speak of), not to mention that it has a fabulous transition builder to help you come up with custom animations.

LayerSlider guarantees device responsiveness and is SEO-ready. Plus, users are at liberty to add any type of content: HTML, Google Fonts, text, images, and videos (from Vimeo, Youtube, or self-hosted HTML5).



2. Multi Store Creator for Prestashop


These days, more people are looking to set up their own online store. If you decide to create a website with Prestashop, consider using this savvy plugin. It makes no difference if you need to get a gadget store, or a beauty shop for women, up and running.

Multi Store Creator can handle everything you throw at it, is easy to grasp, and gives you a semi-automated front-end that will make the task at hand seem like a breeze. Among its offerings are mobile responsiveness, a plan chooser, multi-language support, Paypal integration, and AJAX validation for existing user and store.



3. Parallax Module for Joomla


Parallax scrolling can enhance a user’s experience of any website. Why not yours?

The Parallax Module for Joomla has a simple method of adding an image and establishing the parallax background for your website. In addition, it promises a 100% responsive layout, and also delivers a handy text area, so you can add content.



4. Support Ticket System for Opencart


If you’re used to a platform like Opencart, then it probably occurred to you that it would be nice to have a way of incorporating a proper help desk into your web store. I have recently discovered a plugin that is able to help you out with managing and monitoring online support requests.

It’s a piece of cake to create any number and type of tickets, search through them, set up as many custom departments as necessity dictates, assign them tickets, and toggle their status to ‘resolving’ or ‘resolved’ – and ultimately delete them.



5. LegalPages


There’s more to website creation than actual development and design. Ask yourself the following question: do your websites uphold the law to the letter? You need to make sure they do, or the consequences could be unpleasant enough for you, their author.

WP LegalPages can help protect you in this way. It offers a total number of 17 pre-designed templates, so you need only invest a few minutes to take care of your privacy policy, affiliate disclosure, TOS, etc. The plugin includes a lock-down feature, and is faithful to EU cookie regulations.



6. Checkout Discount Code for Magento


Online shopping is supposed to be a more comfortable alternative to visiting life-sized stores. However, whenever you’re building a virtual shop, remember that the devil is in the details. As people proceed to check-out on Magento-based websites, they might also have a discount code that they’ve neglected to include on the basket page.

Wouldn’t it be great if they could insert the code simply upon checkout? With this extension that’s easy to install. You can do so and add that precious extra step to the Magento Onepage check-out process.



7. Monarch


Monarch is a promising WordPress social plugin which was recently launched by Elegant Themes. One word to describe it would be versatile.

This plugin lets you choose from as many as 40 social networks and it gives you the option to position it in no fewer than 8 different locations. Monarch is responsive and it boosts a plethora of other options that you should check out.



8. Chimpy – MailChimp WordPress Plugin


Email marketing is a vital component for any website that cares to draw in new visitors or keep the interest of existing ones alive. Thus, MailChimp was invented. Yet, the level of its integration with your website is a different matter, entirely.

Chimpy is a plugin that rises to the challenge. Use it to devise great-looking sign-up forms and display them in the form of compelling pop-ups. Furthermore, Chimpy enables you to display comment forms, synchronize all WordPress users with MailChimp, and make the best content on your website available to visitors after they’ve subscribed.



9. Lizatom Shortcodes Plugin


Need shortcodes to lighten up the load? Then, you should move forward with a competent plugin. Lizatom Shortcodes Plugin discloses over 5000 shortcodes for many uses and is stacked full of features like tooltips, info boxes, pricing tables, and CSS3 buttons.

To give a few examples, Lizatom presents a simple route to customize ordered lists, reveal text with accordions, add pricing tables to online stores or blogs and even give images a fancy 3D shadow effect.



10. UserPro


Regardless of the type of website you’re making, the user experience associated with it ought to be a primary concern. UserPro is a plugin meant to enhance user interaction on your sites.

Use this excellent profile management tool to create site member directories with myriads of display options. Feel free to strike up registration forms and assign them roles, as well as integrate to popular social networks with ease.



11. Subscriptio


If you plan on crafting WooCommerce websites that offer subscriptions, you could use a little bit of help to configure and oversee the entire process of dealing out subscriptions.

One such assistant is Subscriptio, a handy extension. With it, you can easily complete tasks like setting the length of suspension periods, establishing how often reminders should be sent, and more. Plenty of developer-focused filters and hooks for devising awesome WooCommerce subscriptions are available on the admin interface.



12. Timeline


You might feel like an ordinary layout for website content is not enough. Website visitors don’t have a large attention span, and require incentives to keep them continuously engaged. Compact website content can sometimes appear stuffy. A timeline, on the other hand, is bound to decompress user experience.

Content Timeline is a responsive plugin that comes with 11 customizing options to display content neatly by date, or other criteria. Add countless groups and numbers as well as activate 30 element places on the left and on the right side of your timeline.



13. FrontEnd Page Builder


Working on the front-end of a website is easier. If you want to set up a great WordPress website without having to delve into the code aspect, give this plugin a go.

FrontEnd Page Builder comes with loads of pre-made elements that can be altered in any way. What is more, if in trouble, you can always ask for help; the technical support for this plugin is pretty amazing.



14. iMapper


Do you know what can really take the images in your content to a whole new level? Try pinning them with information, especially if they are part of a web store. Product images that sport a map with various details might be more appealing to the public at large. iMapper allows you to choose pre-designed pins (or style them up according to your taste) and place them on any given part of an image.



15. Live Broadcast Countdown Module


A website for upcoming live events should express the enthusiasm that leads up to them. What better way to achieve that effect than with a real-time countdown? Get your hands on the Live Broadcast Countdown Module and you’ll be able to create the right setting for any recurring live events based on Joomla.



16. Chat X


Interaction between readers of a website and its administrators can be facilitated with a plugin for communication. Chat X is a WordPress plugin for sales and support.

It includes chat logs, and has SSL integration, so all messages are encrypted. A total number of 10 operators and 40 visitors can chat simultaneously, and more than one admin is able to respond to a reader.



Conclusion


Whatever functionality you seek to implement in your websites, chances are there’s probably a series of premium plugins that have been created to respond to whatever needs you have.

Do let us know in the comments section what other plugins you find handy and if you like the ones mentioned above.

 

Source fromhhttp://www.hongkiat.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Folder iChanger: Change Folders, Hard Drives and Flash Memory Icons Permanently

Windows is the most popular OS because it supports customization and users can change the look and feel of Windows using some third party customization tools. Although Microsoft does not offer any customization tool to make any changes in Windows, there are lots of third party tools which can be used to change most of the things in Windows. Today, I am covering a freeware utility which lets you change icons of folders, hard drives and flash memory without any manual customization. It works permanently basis, it means icons will not change it case you moved your folder to any other computer. The application is called Folder iChanger, an easy to use GUI based application which offers various icon customization options.

When you start Folder iChanger, you will see that all the options are well categorized and you can choose icons with different pixels as well as dimensions. To change the icon of any item including Folders, Hard Drive and Pen Drive/Flash Memory, just drag & drop the item on the application’s main interface and choose the icon that you want to set as default for that specific item. You can add a single icon for multiple items which can save a lot of your time and effort. Add folder or directory option is also available at the top of application to change icons. Once you successfully add the item, click on Import or choose icon option and choose the favorite icon that you want to set for your hard drive, folder or flash memory.

change-folders-hard-drive-pen-drive-icons-windows-1

Folder iChanger comes with pre-added icon packs and you can choose from any of these icons. You can also add your icon; as of now application supports ICO file formats. One more feature which is pretty interesting is that you can extract the icon from any exe file. Just drag & drop the executable file over the application and it will grab all the icons that are contained in that particular executable file. There are some more features available with this application like for instance, you can save any icon as icon file or image file. Save icon as image file supports various image formats like PNG, JPG and BMP. Changing folder icon is effective instantly but you need to restart the system in case you change the system drives’ icons. To restore the original icon of any folder or drive, you can choose the Clear icon for selected items option.

Folder iChanger needs .Net Framework 4.0 to run and it works on all Windows operating systems including Windows 8 as well. On its download page, you will get two download links – first with .Net Framework (use it if your system does not have .Net Framework 4.0) and use the second download link in case your system has .Net Framework 4.0 installed.

[Download Folder iChanger]

 

Source fromhhttp://www.techfeb.com

Facebook Messenger For PC (Windows 7/8/XP)

Facebook is the all-time favourite socializing network that we are perpetually logged in to, whether at work or at home checking updates and loading snaps. It lets us stay in touch with friends from childhood days and with family in far off places. You could connect with them, you could leave a message for your contact on their profile/inbox for them to read later, and what not.

Now, with the Facebook Messenger for PC, one can stay connected with our contacts all the time in a more efficient and time saving way. The app was initially designed for mobile platforms like Android, Windows phone, iOS, Blackberry and Symbian, thus officially not available for personal computers or laptops. Though, BlueStacks, an Android  emulator can make it available for your PC or laptop.

facebook-messenger-for-PC

Must Read: Download SnapChat For PC

The installation procedure is as simple as installing BlueStacks on your device and searching for Facebook messenger on PC through it.

Features Of The Facebook Messenger


There are many new features made available on Facebook Messenger, which works quite differently as compared to main Facebook site. Some of the features are listed below.

  • Instead of uploading a picture/video from a file saved on your device, you can instantly click a snap or load a video directly from the camera attached to your device, which is extremely convenient.



  • From a drop down menu within the messenger you can search for snaps relevant to the subject of discussion, which could have been time consuming and tedious if you had to switch to a search engine and save the snap and load. This is a more hassle free feature that is welcomed.



  • Voicemails have been replaced by the audio notes that can be sent just like an instant message. A voice calls from Facebook contact to other Facebook contacts are still available, and which can be done by connecting external mic on your PC.



  • Additionally, it lets you display your geographical location on the map, which sometimes is convenient though not very relevant considering that the messenger shows a stagnant position of a PC or a laptop unlike in case of a mobile phone. Emoticons have become a second mode of expression other than language itself and Facebook messenger on PC has incorporated them well along with stickers.


Download-Facebook-Messenger-for-PC-for-FreeMust Read: Hike For PC (Windows 7/8/XP)

You might think that you already have the Facebook app on your device so why would you need the Facebook messenger on PC? Considering how much time it saves by keeping you away from the constant news feeds that you get stuck on when you were on Facebook only for the purpose of staying connected with your contacts on the chat, it is appears to be a viable option, as everything can be managed from PC itself while working. Initially Facebook launched the PC version, but then called it off.

But hey! Not to worry, as BlueStacks can still help you get access to this amazing time saving social network messenger to your favouriteFacebook.

 

Source fromhhttp://www.techfeb.com

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Why you should buy a Galaxy Note 4 instead of a Nexus 6

Last week my pal Scott Adam Gordon wrote a pretty persuasive article entitled Why you should buy the Nexus 6 instead of the Galaxy Note 4. While he made some salient points, I'm not entirely sold. He even called me out in advance, knowing that I would have to respond. So here's my argument for why you should buy the Galaxy Note 4 instead of the Nexus 6.

nexus6 vs notr4
The Nexus and Note series have never been so close as they are now. / © Google, Samsung, ANDROIDPIT


Full disclosure: I have not yet used a Nexus 6, so these opinions are either based on educated guesses or generalities, not on actual first hand experience with the device. And before the fanboy name calling begins, I'll remind those of you that aren't regular readers just how much of a Nexus fanboy I usually am, and how often I am accused of being a Samsung hater. This is why my love for the Galaxy Note 4 is as surprising to me as it was to Scott.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4
The S Pen stylus and Note 4 software is unbeatable by any other  Android. © ANDROIDPIT

The Nexus ain't no Note


This is one of the most obvious points to make: that despite the Nexus 6's ''phablet'' scale, it's missing the one feature that makes the Note series so indispensable: the S Pen stylus. Sure, a massive screen is good for multi-tasking, media consumption and all-round phone operation. But you know what makes multitasking, media and phone operation even better: the precision and flexibility of a stylus.

Anyone who's ever used a Note and then done similar things without the S Pen would know just how clumsy, awkward and imprecise the whole thing feels when you revert to using your fingertips. Like an animal. The Nexus 6 doesn't even give you the option. You're stuck clumsily thumbing the screen while Note 4 users are writing notes with a calligraphic S Pen.

Android L design teaser
While I like Material Design, it makes stock Android look like a manufacturer skin. © AndroidPIT

The Nexus 6 ain’t pure no more


The original reason I bought a Nexus 4 was the price and stock Android. The reason I bought a Nexus 5 after that was the price and stock Android. But now stock is starting to look more like a manufacturer skin with Material Design everything and groovy animations and Google Everything. Android 5.0 Lollipop is hardly the clean white canvas on top of which the nasty manufacturers ladle their terrible artwork anymore. No, Android 5.0 is more like a pre-made painting that manufacturers have the option of painting over, but it's anything but ''pure'' in the sense it used to be.

Plus, stock Android is now jam packed full of the kinds of stuff I used to turn to custom launchers, OEMs, third party apps or custom ROMs for. So the customization options of stock are less attractive than they used to be too. So if stock is becoming more and more like an OEM skin, then why not just deal with an OEM skin and be done with it? Heck, even Motorola is doing ''stock plus'' these days, so stock Android is hardly the domain of the Nexus series alone. And if Samsung has Android 5.0 out for the Note 4 in December then the update delay is practically moot too.

nexus 6 official full
Nexus devices used to have price going for them, but not anymore. © Google

The Nexus 6 ain’t cheap


As I just mentioned, a large part of the Nexus allure for me was the price. I loved getting a rock solid specs beast for a low price. But if the Nexus 6 costs only $100 less than a Galaxy Note 4, which I firmly believe to be the best Android smartphone so far this year then why not just cough up a little extra and get the absolute best that Android has to offer? Look at the Motorola Droid Turbo for example: it's cheaper than the Nexus 6 and it has a better camera and much larger battery. If bang for your buck is top of your priorities then spending an extra Benjamin on a Note 4 seems obvious to me.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 13
The list of extra features on the Note 4 is staggering. And this time they're almost all useful. © ANDROIDPIT


The Nexus 6 ain't feature-packed


The Nexus 6, despite adding a battery saving mode, Guest Mode, Knox sand-boxing, Google Fit and a few other nice tidbits, the simple fact is that the Note 4 already has these. Plus, the Note 4 has tons more too: heart rate monitor, S Pen software, finger scanner, microSD expansion, removable battery, Download Booster, IR blaster and plenty more. There's even heaps less bloatware on the Note 4. Admittedly, the Nexus 6 is water-resistant and the Note 4 is not, but the list of added extras on the Galaxy Note 4 puts the Nexus 6 to shame.

Sure, the Nexus 6 is a pretty great device and I fully expect to be impressed when I get one in my hands. But the simple fact is that in many ways it is still a base device. Want more storage? Tough. Want a higher resolution camera? Tough. Want more battery life? Tough. The Note 4 has a better camera, microSD expansion and a replaceable battery, meaning that if it's not already better than the Nexus 6 it can be easily made that way. And if you simply hate TouchWiz, then buy a Note 4 GPe or flash a custom ROM on it.

Brazil Samsung Note 4 social ANDROIDPIT
While the Nexus 6 is surely a great phone, the Galaxy Note 4 is just a better one. © ANDROIDPIT

Conclusion


There will always be good reasons to buy Nexus devices and I doubt my Nexus honeymoon is over, but for the first time the Nexus seems to be kind of aspiring to Galaxy Note status. At the same time the design of the Note 4 has improved, the bloatware is lighter, the interface is cleaner, the gimmicks are largely gone and the basics are rock solid. So if the Nexus and Note, two devices that were previously polar opposites, suddenly start meeting on more common ground, you know that only one of them is coming out alive. And perhaps for the first time, the Nexus 6 has bitten off more than it can chew.

Which phone would you buy? Which offers better value for money?

 

Source fromhttp://www.androidpit.com

10 reasons Android 5.0 Lollipop is so special

Google has finally unveiled their new Nexus devices and simultaneously lifted the veil that has been hanging over the next version of Android since March of this year. Android Lollipop still hasn’t been officially released, but the latest pre-release version shows us a nearly complete version of the latest Android updates. We have it installed on our Nexus 5 and will show you today some of the major features and design changes.

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10 special features in Android 5.0 Lollipop. / © ANDROIDPIT
Before we get going, we need to be clear: we are referring to the preview version of Android 5.0 on the Nexus 5 and some features may still change when the final version is released. However, we do know that Android 5.0 is going to be one of the largest and most comprehensive updates in Android history. Material design gives the system a completely new look and is more than just flat icons and new color-coding. In addition to fresh animations, some new features have also been added in. Lollipop offers a completely new experience and after our initial test with the alpha version we know one thing already: you’ll love it.

1. More options during initial setup


Already in the initial setup it becomes clear how much the new Android differs from its predecessors. The color-coding is bright and friendly whereas in the past, it was much darker. The icons in the status bar have seen a fresh update as well. Through the initial setup, the user is guide step by step and you can now transfer over data, apps, and other settings from an old phone via NFC. This function is called Tap & Go.

As well, it is possible to select certain apps and data which has been associated with your Google account to help make the tradition smoother and to prevent you from inadvertently bringing old data and apps that you no longer use into the transition.

2. Lock current screen


You can lock the current screen with a specific app or screen without giving access to the rest of the phone. This is handy when you want to share something on your phone with somebody else, but don’t want them to have access to other things that you have on your device. In order to use this, you’ll need to turn it on first in Settings > Security > Screen Pinning. Once turn on, you just need to hit the app switcher button and then you’ll scroll up a bit and a pin icon will appear. If you touch this, Android will pin this to your screen and then you can lock your device with a unlock pattern.

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You can lock your phone's screen on onen app with the Lollpop Pin function. © ANDROIDPIT
To unpin an app or screen, simply hold the back and app switcher buttons at the same time.

3. Flappy Droid, an Easter egg game.


There were a bunch of Easter Eggs in older versions of the Android and Lollipop is no exception. In fact, they’ve pushed the boundaries a bit with this latest Easter egg. If you head into About Phone and then tap on the Android version a bunch of times, you’ll be surprised with a lollipop graphic. From there, if you do a long press on this graphic a mini-game will pop up.  As a tribute to one of the most popular, and frustrating, games of the last year, you’ll be treated to a Flappy Bird clone with the Droid as the playable character.

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A hidden mini-game: In Android Lollipop there is a Flappy Bird adaptation. / © ANDROIDPIT

4. Multi-users: multiple users, one device.


With Android Lollipop it is incredibly easy to create multiple user profiles on your device. Besides the main profile for the owner of the unit, you can set it so that other people can log onto the device and create their own profiles with their own wallpapers, ringtones, apps, and settings.  Of course, this is also handy if you’re the only person using the device as you can set up different “accounts” for different settings such as a work profile and an at home profile.

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CAPTION – REPLACE ME! / © ANDROIDPIT

5. User profile images


In addition to the general settings, you can also upload a picture of yourself or take one from the device that will be associated with the profile. This image will be displayed in the top right hand corner of the status bar and you can easily tell which profile is currently in use at a glance.

 

6. Clock background that changes based on time of day


This may seem a bit superficial, but it is definitely visually appealing: depending on the time of the days, the background on the clock changes the color from a friendly blue during the daytime to a dark purple during the night.

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A small yet cool feature is how the clock changes color as the day goes on. / © ANDROIDPIT

7. Fresh transitions, animations, and colors depending on apps.


The new Android update showcases a full compliment of new animations, transition effects, and color effects. This really cannot be captured well in screenshots, but believe us, they’re there.

As well, Material Design is already largely incorporated in this release of Android Lollipop. The new design laws are particularly evident in system apps such as the dialer.

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The dialer supports the new Material Design. / © ANDROIDPIT

8. Do not disturb: avoid interruptions


If you adjust the volume, Android Lollipop will also give you the option to set certain periods where you can specify that you don’t want to be disturbed. This is convenient for during the night, if you want a quick break from your device, or also for periods of times where you don’t want to be contact such as meetings or that special anniversary date.  Of course, you can also list exceptions to these rules and allow certain calls or notifications to come through regardless of whether or not you’ve got the do not disturb enabled.

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Android Lollpop allows you to block interruptions and set priorities in regard to who can get in touch wth you. / © ANDROIDPIT

9. Battery Life: optimized energy savings mod


Power savings modes have long been consistent with different manufacturers, but they were missing from stock Android. Now with Android 5.0, it has been properly implemented and limits the functionality of the device when turned on. When enabled, you’ll notice an orange-red notification and navigation bar, a different colored user interface. This may seem strange at first, but it’s an easy visual way to know that the device is in power savings mode and, for example, background data has been disabled.

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The Battery Saver with Lollipop will extend the battery and shut off quite a few features to get you through more hours of use./ © ANDROIDPIT
As well, battery information is more accurate than previous versions: it will show you the battery capacity in mAh and the remaining charge will also be shown.

10. Refreshed Google Now


Google’s voice assistant has seen a significant update with Android 5.0. The Google Search bar is now fixed and accessible from any home screen.

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Google Now gets an update with Android 5.0. / © Google

Preliminary conclusion


As already mentioned, Lollipop still isn’t quite finish and there might be a change or two to the things that we mentioned here before the final version is released. However, our impressions from the build tell us that this is most likely a nearly complete version of the software and only a few small tweaks will be made before the general release. From what we’ve seen, we really enjoy the fresh design and the new features incorporated within.

(originally by Johannes Wallat of AndroidPIT.de)

 

Source fromhttp://www.androidpit.com

Nexus 6 vs Galaxy S4: is it worth the upgrade?

Are you a Samsung Galaxy S4 owner debating whether to upgrade to the Nexus 6? No? Why are you reading this article then? Today I’m going to look at benefits of upgrading the, still incredibly popular, Galaxy S4 to the Nexus 6 based on what we know about it so far. Will it be worth getting the Nexus 6 as soon as it arrives? Find out in our Nexus 6 vs Galaxy S4 comparison.

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Nexus 6 vs Galaxy S4: is it worth the upgrade? / © ANDROIDPIT


Design


The size of the two devices differs significantly. The Nexus 6 is one of the largest phones to be released this year with a screen size of almost 6-inches. It houses the dual front-facing speaker combination as seen on the Moto X (2014), as well as the curved back and ring-flash on the rear camera. The S4 features a 5-inch display, which seems a tad small alongside 2014’s flagships, with a smooth finish on the back, as oppose to the Nexus 6’s matte backplate. The Galaxy S4 also features the much-maligned plastic encasing which was prominent on the Galaxy series until the Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha appeared in the later half of 2014 sporting some metal. The Nexus 6, on the other hand, seems more like a premium product with its aluminium edges and heavier body (which stands at 184g as opposed to the 130g of the S4).

One of the key areas where the Nexus 6 design differs from Galaxy S4 is its water-resistance. However, this has come at the cost of a non-removable battery, which will be a concern for some Galaxy S4 fans. The Nexus 6 is also missing a micro SD-Card slot, whereas the Galaxy S4 can have its memory expanded up to 64 GB with a sweet little SD card.

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The Nexus 6 design takes a lot of cues from the Motorola Moto X (2014). / © Google


Display


The Galaxy S4 houses a 5-inch full-HD (1920 x 1080) screen at 441 ppi. Despite being released a year and a half ago, there are still flagships being produced now with similar display specs (I’m looking at you, Sony Xperia Z3). So this is by no means an outdated handset from this perspective.

The Nexus 6 arrives with a 5.96-inch display in all its QHD glory, that’s a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. This is currently the most you’re likely to find on a modern flagship, and it goes without saying that the Nexus 6 is going to have a beautiful screen when it finally arrives. That being said, it is still being debated how noticeable such high resolutions are to the naked eye on the “small” displays of smartphones. Both handsets make use of AMOLED display technology.

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The Nexus 6 has a QHD display, while the Galaxy S4's is Full-HD. / © ANDROIDPIT


System


Upon its release, the Nexus 6 will be running stock Android 5.0 Lollipop. This means material design, extended battery life, and notification-on-lockscreen features. All that good stuff. While the Nexus 6 hardware will always be more capable of handling what Android Lollipop throws at it as new updates are released, Lollipop will still be arriving to the Galaxy S4 in the future, probably before the end of January. Until that point, the Galaxy S4 is upgradeable to Android 4.4.4 running Samsung’s slightly altered TouchWiz interface.

Performance


The Nexus 6 should definitely outperform the Galaxy S4 when it comes to processing. With a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (@ 2.7 GHz) and 3 GB of RAM, the Nexus 6 is pushing the limits of what is currently capable for 2014 smartphone technology. The Galaxy S4 has 2 GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor (1.9 GHz), clearly lagging behind the Nexus 6 with last generation specs. In practice, the Nexus 6 should run smoother, with fewer stutters, and a tangible difference gaming graphics which should become even more noticeable in time.

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The Galaxy S4 won't be able to keep up with the Nexus 6 in terms of processing. / © AndroidPIT

Camera


The Nexus devices have never been known for housing great camera technology, with the Nexus 5 being particularly known for its camera problems. Both Nexus 6 and Galaxy S4 cameras contain the same raw-pixel count: 13 MP at the rear and 2 MP at the front.

Not much is known about the Nexus 6 camera in terms of how it performs just yet, except for some Nexus 6 reviews stating that its is a marked improvement over the Nexus 5 version, and it does hold a dual-LED flash over its older Galaxy competitor.

The Galaxy S series cameras are always good, and last years S4 had one of the best Android cameras of 2013. With the same cold numbers, maybe the camera won’t be the main reason to jump onboard the Nexus 6 ship.

Battery


The Nexus 6 battery life should be pretty good with a 3220 mAh capacity. This will be aided by Android 5.0 Lollipop, which can supposedly add around another 30 minutes of standby time compared to Android 4.4.4 thanks to optimized processing. The Nexus 6 also has turbo-charging functionality, to add hours of juice in just 30 minutes, and also built-in wireless charging capabilities.

The Galaxy S4 battery isn’t bad at all with a 2600 mAh capacity. It doesn’t come with some of the nicer battery saving functions found on the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5, and who knows if an upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop will help or hurt its ultimate ability to hold a charge (older devices are often negatively affected in the battery department by updated software), but, as of right now, we can only speculate that the Nexus 6 will perform better in this area.

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The Galaxy S4's battery can be removed, and it also has a micro-SD card slot. / © ANDROIDPIT


Nexus 6 vs Galaxy S4: tech specs



































































Nexus 6Galaxy S4
OSAndroid Lollipop 5.0Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Display5.96-inch QHD 2560 x 1440 @ 493 ppi5.0-inch super AMOLED, 1920 x 1080 pixels @ 441 ppi
Dimensions82.98 x 159.26 x 10.06 mm136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm
Weight184 g130 g
Processor2.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (quad-core)1.9 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, (quad-core)
RAM3 GB2 GB
Camera13 MP with OIS (rear), 2 MP (front)13 MP with ISOCELL sensor (rear), 2 MP (front)
Internal storage32 / 64 GB16 / 32 GB
Battery3,220 mAh2,800 mAh
ConnectivityLTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11ac (MIMO)HSPA, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0
Price649 USD329 USD

Conclusion


If you’re looking to upgrade the Galaxy S4 to the Nexus 6, these are the key considerations: the camera sensors aren’t so different, and at this stage we’re unable to say with any certainty which is better. This may be quite telling in and of itself, the Nexus 6 camera is not a clear winner over a device which is a year and half old.

On the performance side you can expect much more from the Nexus 6 than the Galaxy S4 - it will multi-task far better, and run more smoothly overall. If there are any problems in this regard you can be sure we’ll be the first to point it out.

To round things off the Nexus 6 will give you water resistance, lightning-fast (and wireless) charging, and a QHD screen - just remember that you won’t be able to take your Galaxy S4 SD card containing all of your music and videos with you.

What do you think? Is it worth upgrading the Galaxy S4 to the Nexus 6?

 

Source fromhttp://www.androidpit.com