Google announces Project Sunroof to help power the world with solar energy

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Frank Cisco

Google has announced a new project today that aims to make it easy for residents of certain cities to make the switch to relying on solar energy instead of standard electricity. Project Sunroof is your one-stop shop for finding out how solar energy can work for you.

No, Google isn’t installing solar energy panels on homes itself, rather it’s guiding people through the process. Using Project Sunroof’s tools, Google will give you information on where to install panels on your roof, how much it will cost, how much it could save you in energy usage and who to contact in taking the next steps. All of this is computed using Google’s massive data bank and with things like 3D mapping data.

Google is initially giving residents in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fresno, CA and Greater Boston, MA a chance to see how solar energy could work for them. If you live in one of those areas, give it a shot and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Google releases final Android Marshmallow preview and 6.0 SDK

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Frank Cisco

Android Marshmallow isn’t set to be released until this fall, but along with announcing Android M’s full name, Google has also announced the release of the final developer preview along with the final Android 6.0 SDK.

Releasing the final developer preview along with the final Android 6.0 SDK should enable developers to ensure that their apps will function flawlessly once Marshmallow drops. Though not much has changed in the final developer preview, there have been minor updates to the Fingerprint API and the user permissions interface.

For more information on the final Android Marshmallow preview and 6.0 SDK, visit the source link below.

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Android M is Android Marshmallow, 6.0

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Frank Cisco

It’s official people, Android M is Android Marshmallow.

Set to be launched this fall as Android 6.0 (!), Android Marshmallow will be the softest and fluffiest version of Android to date. While not quite as big an update or drastic a change as Lollipop, there’s still plenty to get excited about. Marshmallow is going to include Android Pay, improvements to app permissions, some design tweaks, and visual voicemail among other big changes and improvements to Android.

Be on the lookout for a ton of Marshmallow related promo material to drop later today.

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Verizon Nexus 7 update brings Android 5.1.1, Stagefright patch

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Frank Cisco

After months of certification delays and other craziness, Verizon began selling an LTE Nexus 7 months after its initial debut. Now we’ve got some good news for the folks that ended up buying the Nexus 7 from VZW.

Verizon says that its LTE Nexus 7 is now getting an update to build LMY48L that includes a bump up to Android 5.1.1, complete with a material design UI, refreshed Recent Apps menu, app notification settings, and more. The update also includes “Android security patches,” which is likely code for a Stagefright patch.

This update is rolling out over the air and can be grabbed by going into Settings > About tablet > System updates. And with goodies like Android 5.1.1 and a Stagefright patch, you VZW Nexus 7 users should probably install this new update as soon as possible.

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LG Nexus 5 2015 may have posed for a photo

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Frank Cisco

Many of the recent 2015 Nexus leaks have included renders or spec rumors, but that may finally be changing today.

Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, has shared a photo that may be the LG Nexus 5 2015. The photo shows a Nexus-branded phone that looks similar to the render that leaked out the other day, complete with a protruding camera, flash, laser auto focus, and a round fingerprint reader directly beneath the camera. Since the photo only shows the back of the device, though, we can’t see the phone’s alleged front-facing speakers or USB Type-C port.

This LG-made Nexus is said to include a 5.2-inch display and is reportedly the smaller of two Nexus phones that’ll debut this year, with the larger one coming from Huawei. The Nexus 6 and its 5.96-inch display has turned some folks off, especially for those hoping for a new phone sized similarly to 2013’s Nexus 5. If the new leaks turn out to be true, though, fans of the OG Nexus 5 could end up getting their follow-up this year.

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How to SIM unlock the Samsung Galaxy S6 for free

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Frank Cisco

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is the best smartphone Samsung has made in years. It’s as simple as that. The phone is jam packed with the best components currently available, making it the must-have smartphone of the year (sorry Apple). And for those who wanted something with a bit more style, Samsung also introduced the Galaxy S6 edge which features a curved display that seamlessly fades into the side of the phone. It seems the only blemish on this year’s flagship smartphone from Samsung is poor battery life, but that’s easily solved with an external battery pack or a Qi wireless charger.

While the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge can be purchased with unlocked SIM slots, anyone who has purchased either of the phones most likely purchased a locked phone from a service provider. If that’s you, you will need to SIM unlock your Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge if you are planning on switching service providers or want to use a local SIM card while traveling overseas. While you can buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 SIM unlock code from Android SIM Unlock or other third-party SIM unlocking services, we always recommend trying the free option below. As crazy as it sounds, US service providers will often give you a SIM unlock code for your phone for free, as long as your account is in good standing and you get the right person on the line.

Note: if you own a T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy S6, Android SIM Unlock offers an unlock service using the Device Unlock app even if T-Mobile states that the phone is not eligible for unlocking.

samsung-galaxy-s6-sim-unlock-4

Request your Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge SIM unlock code from your service provider

Open the phone app and dial #06# to locate your phone’s IMEI number
Write down your IMEI number
Call your carrier’s customer service number and request the SIM unlock code for your Samsung Galaxy S6
You may need to state that you plan to us a local service while traveling overseas
Provide your Galaxy S6 IMEI number to the customer service rep to process the sim unlock request
Your service provider will typically email you the SIM unlock code in 1-3 days

SIM unlock your Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge

Remove the SIM tray on the side of the phone with the SIM tool
Replace the SIM card with one from another service provider
When prompted, enter the SIM unlock code you received from your service provider
Your Samsung Galaxy S6 is now SIM unlocked!

If you’re service provider isn’t willing to give up the SIM unlock code for free, you will need to buy the code for your Samsung galaxy S6 from a third-party service. Android SIM Unlock and most other services can find the unlock code for your phone in 1-2 days and offer a money back guarantee if the code doesn’t work or cannot be found.

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Huawei Nexus leaked render appears on video with front speakers and fingerprint reader

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Frank Cisco

The rumor mill has been telling us for a while now that we’ll see two Nexus phones in 2015, one from LG and one from Huawei. Today it’s continuing to push that claim by producing a video that shows an alleged render of the Huawei Nexus, one day after a similar video showing the LG Nexus emerged.

The Huawei Nexus render shown in the video is based off of device schematics given to accessory makers, and so the colors and materials shown are speculation. However, the source of the leak suggests that Huawei’s phone will have a full metal construction, which ought to give it a nice premium feel.

Meanwhile, we can see that the Huawei Nexus in this clip has front-firing speakers, a rear fingerprint reader, a USB Type-C port on its bottom, and a headphone jack up top. It’s said that Huawei is testing 5.5 and 5.7-inch screens with this phone, but past reports have suggested that a 5.7-inch screen will be used, and that seems the more likely choice because a 5.5-inch display would be awfully close to the 5.2-inch screen that the LG Nexus 5 2015 is allegedly going to use.

Finally, this Huawei device is said to measure 159.4mm tall, 78.3mm wide, 6.6mm at its thinnest point, and 8.5mm at its thickest point.

Huawei hasn’t yet participated in Google’s Nexus program, but this upcoming Nexus phone could make for a good first effort if it turns out anything like today’s leak. What do you think of the device shown in this leaked render? Will you be interested in the Huawei Nexus if the rumors turn into reality?

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Motorola accidentally outs the Moto 360 2015 yet again

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Frank Cisco

If you cast your memory back to March, we caught a glimpse of some revamped Moto 360 hardware courtesy of the CEO of Lenovo. The images weren’t great, but they were clearly showing new hardware as they featured a relocated hardware button, visible lugs on the watch and two distinct sizes.

Since then things have been notably silent on the 2015 Moto 360 front, despite refreshes to the smartphone lineup as well as a quietly updated Moto Hint. While we are still waiting on the official unveil, the Motorola Twitter account slipped up earlier today and posted a brief ad that featured a Moto 360 that matches the revised hardware we saw back in March. This time it was a render rather than real hardware, but the placement of the hardware button and the lugs match up exactly, so I would not take any bets on the new Moto 360 looking different than this render.

Moto-360-2015

The one aspect that I would possibly still hold out hope for a change on is the return of the black bar/flat tire. This is a render, so the screen specifically could be wrong, but I’m not laying down any money on it being gone.

The 360 was the first Android Wear watch to garner a lot of positive attention for its looks, so what do you think of the changes for 2015? Are they still setting the standard or are your eyes drifting elsewhere?

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Top 10 Android app updates this week: QKSMS, Hangouts

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Frank Cisco

Welcome back to our weekly Top 10 Android App Updates column, where we take a look at the most frequently upgraded apps for the week. We’ve found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to find the ones that are actually being updated by the developers rather than selecting the apps with the most installs. As in the past, we’re going to filter out minor updates for the super-popular apps that have over 10 million installs, but we’ll make exceptions for apps that have had significant updates. We hope you enjoy this weekly feature and that you discover some apps that end up being useful.