Daily Archives: July 28, 2015

Google Now receives WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Telegram and NextPlus support

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Google has announced it is expanding messaging support with Google Now today, allowing you to send message with only your voice to contacts on WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Telegram and NextPlus.

Google Now’s expanded messaging support works just like it does with any other app, allowing you to saying something like, “Viber message BugDroid hey I’m messaging you with my voice,” and that’s it. Google recently announced it was looking to take Now to the next level by incorporating more third-party apps into the service. On top of being able to use you voice to message anyone on WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Telegram and NextPlus, you can also say things like “Show me apartments for rent near me on Zillow” or “Shazam this song.”

Initially, Google Now messaging will only work in English, but it won’t be limited to users in the US. More languages will be coming soon.

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The OnePlus 2 makes all the right compromises

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When making a budget phone, especially one that you plan to make money on, you have to make compromises. That’s really all there is to it. Which means you, as a manufacturer, are left with two choices:

You can either build a phone with all the features you can imagine — like NFC, wireless charging, quick charging, a microSD card slot, and USB 3.0 — and buy all of those components, and everything else in the phone from the display, to the camera, to the speakers, CPU and RAM at the lowest price possible. Skimping on the display, buying cheaper camera sensors, throwing in a slight smaller, battery; you get the point.

Or you can leave out all of those features and place that money into splurging on the components you do need, like having a killer display, an awesome camera, a top of the line CPU and GPU, and more than enough RAM to handle anything you could possibly want to do.

With the OnePlus 2, OnePlus opted for the second option. Instead of offering a device with a subpar camera with a cheap display, they went with USB 2 instead of 3, left out quick charging, and used a high-quality 1080p display and a 13-megapixel camera with OIS and laser autofocus. Instead of going with a last-gen Snapdragon and 2GB of RAM, they went with the latest and greatest Qualcomm has to offer paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and left out wireless charging and NFC.

OnePlus made the call and decided to prioritize certain features over others, and I believe the things they chose to prioritize make more of a difference to the experience of using and enjoying your phone. The OnePlus 2 is beautiful, fast, has a huge battery, and will take great pictures, all for only $329. But you have to plug it in to charge it and doing anything involving NFC simply isn’t an option.

Again, I think they made the right compromises, especially since those choices extend further than internal specs. That includes the build quality, which has been universally praised, the fingerprint reader, customizable capacitive buttons and custom notification switch.

For years now, as long as I can remember blogging about Android (which is more than 6 years now), people have said things like “why not cut something that doesn’t matter quite as much and throw in a better camera and display?” Well, OnePlus finally has.

At this point, we just have to see if people vote with their wallets and agree with me, or if Qi and NFC are really worth a bad camera or $300. What do you think?

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See the Moto G (3rd gen) go underwater

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Just a few hours ago Motorola finally made the Moto G (3rd gen) official. It comes with quite a few updates compared to its predecessor, but one of the most notable new things is its IPx7 certification for water resistance.

This is a first for the Moto G line, and it means the phone should withstand being submerged into up to 1m of water for up to 30 minutes without a worry. If you're wondering what actually happens when the new Moto G goes underwater, have a look at the video below.

Unsurprisingly, the device continues to work even when submerged in water, just as it should. This feature isn't something you see often in this price range, so it's very good to have. On the other hand, remember that the Moto G (3rd gen) does not come with an assorted IP rating for dust resistance, which means it may not be able to withstand dust as well as it does water. That's something to keep in mind.

If you can't already order a new Moto G, you'll be able to do so before the end of the day, at least in certain markets such as the US, the UK, and…

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Motorola also outs Moto Pulse and Moto Surround wireless headphones

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The Moto X Style, Moto X Play, and Moto G (3rd gen) aren't the only things that Motorola has unveiled today during its special event. We've also been treated to a couple of new accessories.

They are the Moto Pulse and Moto Surround. They're both wireless headphones, but as you'll see, they differ in form.

The Moto Pulse comes with an on-ear design, sporting 40mm speaker drivers and up to 18 hours of playtime. The ear cups rotate and fold for easy storage. It has a built-in microphone so you can take calls too.

As you'd expect, the Pulse connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth, version 4.1 to be specific. So it's compatible with any phone or tablet out there. It can be paired with two devices simultaneously. Motorola claims its 60ft range is twice as much as the standard range of competing products.

The Moto Pulse is available to order now from Motorola's website, in black or "chalk", for $59.99.

On the other hand, the Moto Surround is comprised of a pair of earbuds attached to a plastic collar that you're supposed to wear around your neck. That's where all the electronics are, obviously.

The Moto Surround supports the aptX codec for HD sound, and it features customizable sound profiles. It can take water or sweat without an issue, and it has operating buttons on the collar. This vibrates to notify you when a call is coming in, and the Surround comes with a built-in microphone and talk button.

As for battery life, Motorola says you should expect to get 12 hours of uninterrupted playback from this accessory, or 15 hours of talk time. And its Bluetooth range is apparently 150 feet. Like its on-ear sibling, the Surround can be paired to two devices at the same time.

The Moto Surround can also be bought from Motorola's website for $69.99. It's offered in black & blue or black & charcoal. The Motorola Connect Android app works with both headphone models and shows you remaining battery life, as well as where you last connected them to your mobile…

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