It is a well-known fact that the best technology is the one that goes unnoticed, in other words, things that simply work and you feel like they are just the most natural thing ever and have always been. Amidst all the largescale and revolutionary work Google is doing in most every perceivable field of technology, the online giant still puts a lot of value in supporting its products with tiny details that polish them to perfection over time.

Now, don’t get us wrong, even Google isn’t without error and there are plenty of blunders to go around, but it definitely makes us smile when we learn about the little things the team made time to introduce to the user experience. The Calendar app on both Android and iOS, just got an update with real-time text suggestions and now, the YouTube app for Android also has a new feature.

It also fits into the hard to spot category perfectly, so much so, that you either have to be involved with YouTube’s Android team on be really, really diligent in sifting through your notifications to spot it. The feature is a new “Watch Later” button, added to YouTube notifications for new video uploads. If you don’t recall, back in the summer of 2015, YouTube added the convenient feature that allows users to subscribe for new upload notifications per channel. It is a pretty good idea, but up until recently, you could only tap on the notification to watch the video instantly or swipe it away and probably forget about it.

The new style of actionable notification was noticed by fans and it appears is not tied to any app update, but is rather a server-side deal. The other action slot is filled with a quick link to potentially unsubscribe from the feed for the particular channel – also convenient. If you haven’t started getting the new style of notifications yet, you will probably notice the change when the next one comes along, now that you know what to look…

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Sony has started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update to both Xperia M5 and M5 Dual smartphones. The update also includes Android security patch for the month of January.

Weighing in at around 600MB, the new update bumps the M5’s build number to 30.1.A.1.33, and that of the dual-sim variant to 30.1.B.1.33. It brings along the ability to take pictures from the camera using the SmartWatch 3, as well as improvements related to volume and silent mode control.

For those who aren’t already aware, the M5 will land in Europe in February – it’s currently up for pre-order in the UK, with shipments beginning February…

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Snapchat is one of those odd social app experiments that often confuse their very own user base, let alone newcomers. What started out as a fairly clever “no traces left behind” picture chat, has since exploded into a wild mess of often puzzling user content, specially crafted multimedia experiences within the Discover feature, as well as, more recently, a sprawling video sharing community. Amidst all this, there seems to be only one unifying trend – striving for revenue and lots of it. Be it from paid ad content, or sponsored video “lenses” or even paid replays of snaps, Snapchat has been doing everything in its power to back up estimates for the company’s enormous market value.

Now, it seems, the playful white ghost has shifted its priorities towards sports fans and is striving to become the de facto social platform for sharing sports events and experiences. The newest effort to this end is a special score filter made available to users attending certain NBA contests. The overlay provides live scores for the game you are currently at. The feature is available at every NBA arena and some other matches.

It might sound like an incredibly silly concept, but, oddly enough, it appears to be working. Just last week, Live Score geofilters saw 20 million views, gathered on content from 51 NBA games. At this point, we can’t decide if the Snapchat team is just incredibly lucky, or full of brilliant social experts, as this new feature could very well open the way to a whole new stream or ad revenue.

And Basketball is not the only sport Snapchat is going after. It has been working with NFL to produce Live Story compilations for major games, as well as to offer fans the aforementioned Live Score filters. And with the US Super Bowl coming up, it is anybody’s guess just how far Snapchat will manage to take its new…

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Earlier this month, Huawei announced that the Honor 5X will be launched in the US at the end of this month. So, we were already expecting it to go on sale around January 31. Now, the company has officially announced the launch date.

Yes, the device will be available for purchase in the US starting January 31. You’ll be able to grab it online at HiHonor, Amazon.com and Newegg.com. As already announced, it will carry a price tag of $200, and will be available in gold, silver, and grey color options.

For those in Europe waiting for the Honor 5X, the phone is expected to land there next week – on February…

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The first-generation ZenWatch from Asus has received an official price cut in the US. A quick look at the Taiwanese company’s online store in the country reveals that the wearable device is now available for just $99.

The model on offer is the silver/rose gold variant featuring a tan strap. Third party retailer Best Buy is also selling the same model for $99, but it’s currently on back-order, with no specific shipping date mentioned.

Other third party retailers are currently selling the smartwatch at much higher price – for example, Amazon US has the same model listed for $130.

Source | Best Buy |…

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MediaTek has officially confirmed the existence of a software bug that has put several Android devices running the company’s chipsets at risk. The chip-maker says the issue in question only affects Android 4.4 KitKat devices.

First reported by security researcher Justin Case earlier this month, the bug could potentially allow an attacker to enable root access on a vulnerable device. “Root user could do many things, such as access data normally protected from the user/ other apps, or brick the phone, or spy on the user, monitor communications etc,” Case said.

For its part, MediaTek explained that the vulnerability stems from a debug feature that the chip-maker said smartphone manufacturers should have disabled before shipping the devices.

“We are aware of this issue and it has been reviewed by MediaTek’s security team. It was mainly found in devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, due to a de-bug feature created for telecommunication inter-operability testing in China,” a MediaTek spokesperson said.

“After testing, phone manufacturers should disable the de-bug feature before shipping smartphones. However, after investigation, we found that a few phone manufacturers didn’t disable the feature, resulting in this potential security issue.”

MediaTek, however, didn’t provide anymore details, just saying that the issue affects “a portion of devices” from “certain manufacturers,” and adding that it has alerted all manufacturers about the feature.

Source |…

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Announced earlier this month during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the BLU Vivo XL is now available for purchase in the US. “Celebrating the availability” of the device, BLU is offering an immediate $50 rebate to those purchasing the handset.

This means that the Vivo XL will set you back $99, down from its regular price of $149. The phone is available exclusively at Best Buy (online as well as physical stores), which has both gold and blue variants in stock.

The offer is only available for the first 3 days of the device’s availability, meaning it ends Sunday, January 31.

Source | Best…

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Google has pushed out a new update to its Calendar app. The update brings along a new ‘smart suggestions’ feature that the company claims lets you quickly create events.

“When you begin typing an event title, you’ll see matching suggestions―choose one or keep typing,” Google explained in a blog post. Tapping “at…” lets you add a location to your event and later get directions.

Similarly, tapping “with…” allows you to add people to your event – you can call or message them from the event, but can’t send them an invite. Finally, tapping “on.” lets you specify the date, time and duration of the event.

The update – which also brings support for 30 new languages – is available on both Android and…

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If you are on Sprint and own an HTC One M8 or its special Harman Kardon edition, here is some good news: the carrier has announced the roll-out of Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the handset, and it should begin anytime now.

Sprint HTC One M8 / M8 HK Owners! Great news, we have received technical approval on the Marshmallow OS update! OTA will start tonight! Thx!— Mo Versi (@moversi) January 29, 2016

As usual, the announcement was made by HTC’s VP of Product Management Mo Versi on Twitter. He said that they have received technical approval for the update and the OTA roll-out will begin tonight (US time).

This comes around a couple of months after the Taiwanese company started rolling out the Android 6.0 update to unlocked M8 units in the US. At that time, it was said that the carrier versions will get the update “as soon as possible.”

If you aren’t already aware, Sprint’s HTC One A9 has just started receiving the Android 6.0.1…

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Many users were upset when Samsung decided to discontinue a removable battery design and we hope LG does not go the same direction as Samsung as LG is one of the few phone makers that still design its smartphones with hot-swappable batteries.

Samsung posted a picture of a Galaxy S6 edge+ with a caption stating that it can charge from 0-to-full in 90 minutes. Then LG USA replied with “Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery” LG also includes a link to its LG V10 product page.

@SamsungMobile Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery: https://t.co/xBcf65TGno #LGV10— LG USA Mobile (@LGUSAMobile) January 27, 2016

This jab at Samsung could indicate that LG still plans to keep designing phones with a removable battery. Specifically, the LG G5 could feature a removable battery.

It’s funny to think just a couple short years ago, Samsung used to boast its removable battery when a film crew took the Galaxy S5 on a trip from the East Coast to the West Coast.

The battery lasted all the way across the country with a combination of texts, phone calls, photos and lots of time in Ultra Power Save Mode. Once the battery died, a crew member swapped the battery and had a full charge all over again.

The LG G5 is rumored to have a 16MP and 8MP camera on the rear and front, respectively, a USB Type-C port, a 5.6 inch QHD display, and a Snapdragon 820 chipset.

The LG G5 is expected to be announced on February 21 at Mobile World Congress in Spain this year.

Source |…

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