Google’s original Chromecast has truly ended up being a great investment for me. I purchased it the day it was announced, and since then I’ve easily recieved enough free movie and Play Store credit to cover the cost of device. Recently, Google released two new Chromecasts. One is an updated version for your TV and the other is a new version to make any stereo a connected device. In a promotion to incentivize you to buy one, or to get current users to realize the joy of spending money in the Play Store, Google is giving away up to $12 in Google Play credit ($6 per Chromecast if you own more than one). This offer is available for new and old Chromecasts as well as Android TV devices.

To pick up your free Google Play money, you can use your phone or computer. I have the steps for the phone in screen shots below. Enter your Chromecast app, select the devices tab, then hit the setting button for a given Chromecast device. Once you’re on your device’s settings page, hit the menu in the corner and select “Check for offers”. A popup will appear asking you to consent to sharing your Chromecast’s information to help Google find your available offers. Obviously you need to consent if you want the free money. Once you agree, Google will “check for offers” and open your browser to show you available offers. I had 5 offers available, including the $6 per Chromecast offer, a free movie rental, and 90 days of Google Play Music if you’re a new subscriber. Select your desired deal and you’ll be taken to the Play Store to confirm your gift.

As a heads up, we know this deal is working in the US, but we’re not sure if it’s available elsewhere. Feel free to comment below if it is or isn’t working where you are. Additionally, when Google was “checking for offers”, this search failed several times for me. I don’t know if this is because I have old Chromecasts or some other strange reason, but if this check for offers fails for you, just try again. It eventually worked for me. I now have $12 of Google Play credit, and icon pack themers should be stoked about that. This is a limited time offer, so take advantage of it soon.

Let us know if you have any questions or thoughts by commenting below. And be sure to let us know what you’re going to spend your credit on. Enjoy your free money!

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After showing off Google Maps offline navigation and search at I/O in May, Google has finally beginning the rollout of the new feature. While most of us in the US and Europe don’t think twice about using Google Maps with our data plans, the new feature will be especially handy for those who pay high data fees or simply don’t have access to data while on the go. While Google has allowed users to download areas to their device in the past, the update to Google Maps now gives you the ability to use turn-by-turn navigation, search for local businesses and even business hours.

The new features should help quite a few Android users conserve their precious data, but Google is promising even more updates to improve Google Maps’ offline capabilities in the near future. What Google Maps feature do you hope Google will add offline support for next?

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You know the drill. HTC is back for another Hot Deals Tuesday. The offers from HTC over the past few weeks have been good, but HTC has really outdone itself today by slashing the price of every product listed on their site by 30% if you spend $650 or more. Just think, you could buy a new HTC One M9 for only $454.30. If you’re looking to spend a little less, HTC has you covered as well with three different discount tiers. 

• Save 30% when you spend $650
• Save 20% when you spend $400
• Save 15% when you spend $200

If the HTC One M9 isn’t really your thing, we recommend picking up the new HTC One A9 and the 32GB Nexus 9 for a cool $685.29. We really wish the HTC Vive was already available for purchase, but we doubt HTC would have included it in this promotion even if it was.

Is this week’s HTC Hot Deal enticing enough for you to purchase a new smartphone, tablet or accessory from htc.com?

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Google has release a handful of new features to Hangouts, improving video quality and tweaking the UI for an overall cleaner experience. The updates are baked into an updated version of the Hangouts Android app and the desktop browser experience. The main UI of the app hasn’t really changed, but Google has made a few tweaks that clean up the on-screen controls during video calls.

The update to the browser-based version is slowly being rolled out to small groups of users, but Google is planning to make it widely available in the near future. If you happen to be included in the initial rollout and don’t really want to deal with the new changes, you can go to http://g.co/hangouts or select “Original version” from the menu in the top right corner.

Let us know if you see any significant performance improvements the next time you use Hangouts.

Android app updates

• Create group MMS messages for Google Voice
• Landscape support for contacts list and compose screens on all devices
• New Google Hangouts welcome screen
• Performance improvements including better stability, latency and call quality

Desktop Browser updates

• Calls that start faster and stay crisper, with higher quality video
• A more streamlined and immersive full-screen interface
• A simpler way to invite friends and family to your calls

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Earlier today, a report suggested that HTC is working on a new phone called the One X9 with a high-end spec list that included a Snapdragon 820 processor and Quad HD display. Now it’s looking like those specs may have been just a smidge off.

Well-known leakers LlabTooFeR and Evan Blass have chimed in on the HTC One X9 rumors, pouring cold water on its rumored flagship status and suggesting that it may actually be a mid-range phone. Blass hints that the One X9 (also known as HTC E56) will feature a 5.5-inch 1920×1080 display, 13-megapixel rear and 4-megapixel UltraPixel front cameras, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 3000mAh battery. Also expected to be included is an unspecified MediaTek processor.

.@stagueve All wrong. E56 sports a Mediatek SoC & 5.5″ FHD display. Memory is just 2GB/16GB, camera 13MP/4UP (OIS), w/ a 3000mAh battery.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) November 9, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsMeanwhile, LlabTooFeR adds that the One X9 is currently slated to launch in Q1 2016, around 2 or 3 months before the flagship HTC One M10 (or whatever it’ll be called) will launch. So it’s looking like the One X9 might actually be another mid-range addition to HTC’s product lineup and not a flagship-tier smartphone that’ll make us throw cash at our screens. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because the One X9 could be a good fit for folks that want an affordable HTC phone with a big display. It just means that we’ll probably have to wait until the One M10 for the next true HTC flagship.

HTC One X9 rumours (1/2): Snapdragon 820 or MediaTek Helio X20 – Wrong 3GB or 4GB RAM – Wrong 32-128 GB ROM – Wrong 1440p screen – Wrong

— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) November 9, 2015

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HTC One X9 rumours (2/2): 23MP rear camera – Wrong 4UP front camera – Correct 3500 mAh battery – Wrong

— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) November 9, 2015

HTC E56 (One X9) targeted Q1 2016 Device will be positioned lower than HTC One A9 It will be released ~2-3 months before flagship “M10″

— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) November 9, 2015

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Though plenty of analysts have predicted its downfall, Facebook is a juggernaut that won’t stop moving. Facebook’s latest concoction is Photo Magic, a new feature in Facebook Messenger that uses facial recognition to quickly find photos to share with your friends. Photo Magic goes through your camera roll and uses facial recognition software to find photos of your Facebook friends and then notifies you and asks if you’d like to share the photo with those friends through Messenger.

All too often, you’re with friends and people are taking pictures and everyone’s saying, “Hey, send me that picture, k?” Alas, however, it’s a rare occasion in which the picture actually does get sent. Photo Magic aims to change that by finding the photos for you, identifying the friends in the photo and giving you a one-tap option to send the photo to the people pictured within.

Now, Photo Magic will be opt-in only, as many will likely have privacy concerns about Facebook’s software sorting through all of their photos. If you do give Photo Magic a try, however, it could make it very easy to share photos privately with friends, rather than simply dumping half of your gallery onto Facebook and letting your friends sort through to find the pictures of themselves.

Photo Magic is rolling out to Android devices in Australia, with iOS support arriving in just a few days. Facebook is expected to expand the feature to other countries within the coming months.

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Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the five most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the top five list more than three times.

1. Reflexion

App info:  Reflexion app is about exploring contrasts and harmony in everyday moments. Capture your world, express your unique personality and share it with those you care about.

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2. Backdrops

App info: Sift through hundreds of original wallpapers hand crafted in house by the the Backdrops team. Enjoy exclusive walls designed specifically for your devices.

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3. Arrow Launcher

App info: Arrow, a Microsoft Garage project, is the simple, personal launcher for Android that offers a radical simplification of the Android experience.

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4. Perch

App info: Perch turns your phone or laptop into a live home monitoring service. Set up your laptop or webcam – or a spare phone or tablet — to record what’s happening in your home.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

5. Pulsar Music Player

App info: Pulsar is intuitive, lightweight and full featured music player for Android. Pulsar support standard music file types including mp3, aac, flac, ogg, wav and etc.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks.

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It’s been known for quite some time that TAG Heuer had plans to unveil its new smartwatch on November 9, and sure enough the watchmaker has done just that. The new TAG Heuer Connected is built with the company’s pristine hardware in mind, but also brings in Google’s Android Wear platform.

The TAG Heuer Connected boasts a 1.5-inch circular display with a resolution of 360×360, and it’s equipped with a dual-core Intel chipset inside, which is clocked at 1.6GHz. The Connected has 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage, supports Bluetooth 4.1 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and the battery is measured in at 410mAh. The Connected’s casing is made from titanium.

There are some TAG Heuer-inspired watch faces to choose from, and thanks to Android Wear owners will be able to check messages, ask Google for help, show your step count and more.

As far as pricing goes, the TAG Heuer Connected will have a price tag of $1,500. For those that already know they might want to get rid of the Android Wear-based smartwatch in a couple of years, there’s a trade-in program in place that will let owners trade in the Connected for a new mechanical TAG Heuer Carrera — for another $1,500.

So, for $1,500, what do you think of the TAG Heuer Connected? Is it your next smartwatch?

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If the iPhone-esque HTC One A9 isn’t your thing, the newly-rumored HTC One X9 may be exactly what you’re looking for. While HTC is relying on the HTC One A9′s looks too sell the phone, the HTC One X9 is rumored to pack an impressive array of components which should satisfy those who want bleeding edge technology.

According to various sources on Weibo, the pictures HTC One X9 will feature a QHD display of at least 5 inches, 4GB of RAM, 64 or 128GB of internal storage, a 23 megapixel main camera, 4 UltraPixel front-facing camera and a 3400 mAh battery. The rumor also states that the processor could either be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or MediaTek’s deca-core Helio X20.

If you’re looking for our opinion, we’re not too convinced by the details of the HTC One X9 quite yet. We’re not concerned with the phone’s name of the basic specs, but it odd that two different processors are listed and that we’ve not given the exact size of the display. The image of the HTC One X9 also raises a lot of questions. The design of the phone appears to be a cross between the HTC Butterfly, the One A9 and the leaked images of the HTC One M9 which never came to be.

There’s no telling if or when the HTC One X9 will be released, but our money’s late Q1 of 2016 the phone does end up with a Snapdragon 820 inside of it. What’s your take on the HTC One X9 rumor? Is this the phone the One A9 should have been?

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Google has added another company to its list of acquisitions.

Fly Labs has officially been acquired by Google. The company revealed the news on its website today, saying that it’ll be joining the Google Photos team in Mountain View.

We’re excited to continue on our mission by joining Google and the Google Photos team in Mountain View, California. Google Photos is a home for your life’s memories, powered by Google’s machine learning and computer vision technology. It’s a perfect match for what we built at Fly Labs, and we’re looking forward to folding our technology into Google Photos. We’ll be pouring the same passion into Google Photos that we poured into Clips, Fly, Tempo and Crop on the Fly.

Fly Labs made four video editing apps for iOS that let you do things like edit, add transitions, speed up or slow down video, and more. Thanks to the Google acquisition, all of Fly Labs’ apps and their in-app purchases are now free, and they’ll stay that way for the next 3 months. After that time, they’ll be pulled from the App Store. Fly Labs notes that their apps won’t receive any further updates.

So yeah, it sounds like Google Photos is going to gain some sort of video editing capabilities. Exactly how Google will build Fly Labs’ tools into Google Photos remains to be seen, but it’s exciting to hear that Google is beefing up one of its best new products.

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