Tag: Android

You may want to put your shocked face on because it looks like Facebook is going to start putting ads in Facebook Messenger.

That was sarcasm folks.

The company announced today that they are going to begin testing ads in Messenger in Thailand and Australia with businesses having the option to have their products advertized below your recent conversations in the app.  It is a small start and really, it makes a lot of sense for Facebook to do this, like it or not.  Facebook Messenger has over a billion users per month which makes it an ideal platform to surface ads.

Today’s Deal on Amazon is a limited time and quantity offer from BLU.  Starting at 11AM EST (8AM PST), you can pick up the brand new BLU VIVO XL2 for just $99.  Normally this dual-SIM phone is $149 and for what you get at $99, is a pretty good deal.  It is powered by the MediaTek quad-core process running at 1.4GHz and coupled with the Mali-T720 GPU.  It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage built in.  That internal storage can be expanded an additional 64GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has a 3150 mAh battery and supports Quick Charge technology for faster charging.  Camera wise, the VIVO XL2 has a 13MP main camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus while the front camera is an 8MP shooter.

Screen wise, you will be getting a 5.5″ screen that renders HD quality.  It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 while to go along with the great display, you get DTS surround sound audio from the ample speakers built into the phone.

Like other BLU devices, the VIVO XL2 is sold unlocked and works with GSM carriers here in the United States like AT&T, T-Mobile and Cricket.  Here are the GSM and LTE bands for reference so you can double-check that it will work for you.

• HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
• LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 7(2600), 12(700), 17(700)

Finally, VIVO XL2 runs Android Marshmallow but be aware that BLU has given no indication of when a Nougat update will come for the phone.

The $99 deal on the VIVO XL2 will go until supplies run out.  Head over to Amazon to get more details and to order yours starting at 11AM Eastern.

As previously announced, Google+ has begun enabling Events in the community app.  It is still in the process of rolling out but for many, Events are now showing up both on the web and the Android app.  You will know if you have received the behind-the-scenes update if you go to Google+ on your phone and tap the menu.  If it has come to your account, you will see events.

As the name suggests, Events allows you to create events either at a location or on Hangouts to your circles or public on Google+.  You can create the event, add dates and times and select who you want to invite and it will show up as an event to attend.  If you invite a select circle, they will be notified via the app while the public will have it appear in the timeline of the community feed.

After rolling out to a limited number of users in a limited number of regions, Instagram has thrown the switch to give everyone Live Stories in the social sharing app.  If you are running the latest version of the app on your Android phone, you now have the option to create a live story by tapping on your profile icon at the top of the main display in the app.  There you will see the new Live feature where you can immediately start live streaming yourself or an event.

Functionally, this new feature in Instagram works like the Live feature in Facebook.  One interesting thing however is that once you are done with the live story in Instagram, it is gone.  They disappear after it is over and do not appear in your timeline.

Earlier today, Google announced some key initiatives around Chromebooks and education at BETT, an event in London focused on technology in education.  The announcement included announcements around new stylus enabled Chromebooks and, of course, the coming of Android apps to the platform.  Adobe was highlighted in the release as being a company who had optimized their Creative Cloud apps to work on these new Android-enabled Chromebooks.

Adobe has released a suite of Android apps optimized for Chromebooks. The Adobe Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop Mix, Lightroom Mobile, Illustrator Draw, Photoshop Sketch, Adobe Comp CC, and Creative Cloud Mobile will be available for free download, expanding creative options for students and the capability of stylus and world-facing camera.

While several apps have already been optimized to work on Chromebooks, the Creative Cloud apps is a big deal.  It will allow those in education – students and teachers – to be more creative in their studies while being touch and stylus enabled as they would be on an Android phone or tablet.

Today’s Deal is on a well appointed new tablet from Huawei.  The MediaPad M3 is their latest offering and the 8.4″ tablet sports 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 2560 x 1600 pixel IPS display for $299.  To make this an even sweeter deal, the M3 has Harmon Kardon tuned sound so you should have a great media experience with it on top of the great overall specs.  The new tablet from Huawei was announced in November and hit the Amazon digital shelves in December.  If you are an Amazon Prime customer, shipping is free.

The MediaPad M3 is powered by the Octa-Core Kirin 950 processor running at 2.3GHz and it is coupled with the Mali-T880 MP4 GPU.  This combination should do great for everyday use and you have plenty of RAM to support the processor which always helps.