Cult of Android - page 2

Facebook Messenger now offers group voice chat for up to 50 people

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HEADING
Facebook just made chat more sociable.
Photo: Facebook
Facebook just made chat more sociable. Photo: Facebook
Facebook just made chat more sociable. Photo: Facebook

Facebook is continuing its mission to try and replace your standard telephone number with its latest update for Facebook Messenger — allowing up to 50 users to jump on a VoIP audio call for a group chat.

The feature, which started rolling out globally yesterday, allows anyone to start a group call by hitting the app’s Phone icon and selecting the group chat members they want included. The members will then receive a Messenger call simultaneously, which they can join at any point the conversation is taking place.

Low-cost Android makers are hurting thanks to iPhone SE

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The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs.
Photo: Apple
The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs. Photo: Apple
The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs. Photo: Apple

Apple’s affordable 4-inch iPhone SE is causing a major headache for Chinese makers of low-cost Android phones.

Supply chain manufacturers in Taiwan and China are reportedly becoming more conservative about building up inventories of smartphone components from companies including Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo as the iPhone SE squeezes the competition.

Samsung crushes Apple in smartphone shipments as iPhone plummets

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Samsung Galaxy
Look out, Apple!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Look out, Apple! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android
Look out, Apple! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android

Samsung couldn’t have wished for a better start for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Not only are sales shaping up to beat expectations, with an estimated 10 million sales during March alone, but according to the latest data, the new handsets helped Samsung crush Apple in smartphones shipments last quarter.

‘Racist’ Snapchat filter turns anyone into Bob Marley

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HEADING
Snapchat desperately hopes every little thing will turn out to be alright.
Photo: Ste Smith/Luke Dormehl
Snapchat desperately hopes every little thing will turn out to be alright. Photo: Cult of Mac
Snapchat desperately hopes every little thing will turn out to be alright. Photo: Cult of Mac

A Bob Marley-themed Snapchat filter designed to celebrate 4/20 has backfired, with hordes of users accusing the company of promoting “blackface.”

It’s the latest instant outrage to flare up on the internet, and a total bummer for anyone just trying to enjoy the high holy day for pot smokers. After all, isn’t April 20 the one day of the year we should all be kicking back and chilling out?

Android maker beats Apple to banishing the headphone jack

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LeEco will tackle the U.S. market this year.
Photo: LeEco
LeEco will tackle the U.S. market this year. Photo: LeEco
LeEco will tackle the U.S. market this year. Photo: LeEco

Apple is expected to banish the 3.5mm headphone jack to make its next-generation iPhone 7 even thinner. But it won’t be the first smartphone maker to take this controversial step.

LeEco today unveiled a trio of new Android-powered handsets that have all snubbed the headphone jack in favor of digital USB-C headphones and wireless alternatives.

Apple and Alphabet employees are definitely feeling the Bern

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Silicon Valley is behind Bernie Sanders all the way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Jonathunder/Cult of Mac
Silicon Valley is behind Bernie Sanders all the way. Photo: Ste Smith/Jonathunder/Cult of Mac
Silicon Valley is behind Bernie Sanders all the way. Photo: Ste Smith/Jonathunder/Cult of Mac

Tech employees at Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon are some of the most ardent supporters of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, according to findings by the Federal Elections Commission.

In all, Google employees have donated $250,000 to Sanders’ campaign, while Apple workers have handed over a not-unimpressive $85,576.

That’s in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton and Republican front-runner Donald Trump, both of whom have mainly attracted financial groups as their leading supporters.

Apple and Google take aim at controversial anti-encryption bill

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Proposed bill could hold tech giants more accountable for child exploitation
Tech companies want to protect encryption.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Tech companies want to protect encryption. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Tech companies want to protect encryption. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple and Google have leant their names to an open letter taking aim at a controversial new anti-encryption bill, which demands that tech companies make their devices breakable at will.

“We write to express our deep concerns about well-intentioned but ultimately unworkable policies around encryption that would weaken the very defenses we need to protect us from people who want to cause economic and physical harm,” the letter opens.

In addition to Apple and Google, other tech giants which signed the missive include Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Netflix, and more.

Viber follows Apple’s lead with end-to-end encryption

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Viber's new app update is a significant one.
Photo: Viber
Viber's new app update is a significant one. Photo: Viber
Viber’s new app update is a significant one. Photo: Viber

Popular cross-platform messaging service Viber has announced that it will follow Apple’s example by embracing user privacy through the introduction of end-to-end encryption.

Viber revealed today that it will start rolling this out for all of its one-to-one and group conversations, whether that be video, voice, or text messages. According to a spokesperson for the company, the encryption update will be available to users worldwide within “several weeks,” although an exact date isn’t specified.

Android N brings native support for iPhone-like 3D Touch displays

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3D Touch app switching
3D Touch in action on iPhone 6s.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
3D Touch in action on iPhone 6s. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
3D Touch in action on iPhone 6s. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Google’s upcoming Android N upgrade will bring native support for iPhone-like pressure-sensitive displays.

The move should make “3D Touch” screens more popular on Android, and will make it easier for app developers to take advantage of them.

You can now enjoy Amazon’s video service for $8.99 a month

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Amazon is taking the fight to Netflix.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Amazon is taking the fight to Netflix. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Amazon is taking the fight to Netflix. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Amazon is stepping up its battle with competitor Netflix by introducing a payment option allowing customers to buy its streaming video service for a monthly fee of $8.99 — one dollar less than Netflix’s most popular subscription plan.

Previously Amazon’s video service was only available to Prime members, who paid $99 annually for cheaper, faster shipping, alongside other perks.

Samsung’s Gear Manager app for iPhone leaks out early

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Soon!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung’s new Gear Manager app for iOS, which will let you pair an iPhone with the Gear S2 smartwatch, has leaked out ahead of its official debut.

Testers say the app will bring a surprising amount of functionality, allowing users control music from their watch, and even sync new faces to it.

No excuses! Google Calendar now finds time for self-improvement

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Google Calendar gets smarter.
Photo: Google
Google Calendar gets smarter. Photo: Google
Google Calendar gets smarter. Photo: Google

Finding time in your busy schedule to hit the gym, get through a new book, or start a new hobby can be a task in itself. But now Google Calendar has the power to do it for you.

The new Goals feature lets you tell Google Calendar exactly what you want to do, and it will go ahead and help you find free time in which to do it.

Meizu Pro 6 is latest Android to swipe iPhone’s 3D Touch

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The Meizu Pro 6 boasts 3D Press technology.
Photo: Meizu
The Meizu Pro 6 boasts 3D Press technology. Photo: Meizu
The Meizu Pro 6 boasts 3D Press technology. Photo: Meizu

Samsung didn’t adopt the iPhone’s pressure-sensitive display for its latest Galaxies as some reports promised it would, but other Android makers are already using it.

The latest is Meizu, which today unveiling its incredibly attractive Pro 6 smartphone with “3D Press” technology, plus a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, a ten-core Helio X25 chipset, and a 21.1-megapixel rear-facing Sony camera with 10 LED ring flash.

Nintendo’s Miitomo game said to be making $280,000 every week

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Nintendo Miitomo on iPhone
Miitomo is raking in the cash.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Miitomo
Miitomo is raking in the cash. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Nintendo fans bemoaned the company’s decision not to use Mario or Link or Donkey Kong in its first smartphone game, but it seems Miitomo is doing perfectly well without famous faces.

According to new estimates, the social app is currently raking in a whopping $280,000 every single week.

HTC 10 supports Apple AirPlay right out of the box

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HTC 10 will stream straight to Apple TV.
Photo: HTC
HTC 10 will stream straight to Apple TV. Photo: HTC
HTC 10 will stream straight to Apple TV. Photo: HTC

If you’re thinking about swapping your iPhone for the new HTC 10, that decision just got a lot easier.

HTC has made its new flagship compatible with Apple’s AirPlay platform right out of the box, allowing it to play nicely with your Apple TV and other AirPlay devices without any additional hardware or software.

Reddit finally unleashes its official mobile app

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Reddit: The Official App is finally here!
Photo: Reddit
Reddit: The Official App is finally here! Photo: Reddit
Reddit: The Official App is finally here! Photo: Reddit

Well over a year after snapping up Alien Blue, the most popular third-party Reddit client for mobile, Reddit has finally launched its official client app.

Customers who download Reddit: The Official App in its first week will receive three free months of Reddit Gold, giving them an ad-free Reddit experience when using the mobile app, as well as additional features when browsing Reddit on a desktop or laptop.

There’s more than meets the eye to Xiaomi’s transforming tablet

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The transforming Mi Pad 2 in its "normal" state.
Photo: Hugo Barra

It’s not every day you see a tablet transform into a, well, a Transformer. But that’s exactly what we’re going to show you today, after Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra shared photos of a Mi Pad 2 that morphs into a robot.

Fans of the Transformers universe, whether that be the original cartoons back in the 1980s or the more recent reboots of the franchise, will no doubt agree that this is about as awesome as the Mi Pad 2 gets.

How to play PlayStation 4 games on Mac and PC

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Remote Play has arrived on Mac and PC.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
PS4 Remote Play Mac PC
Remote Play has arrived on Mac and PC. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Sony’s latest PlayStation 4 update has arrived, bringing Remote Play to Mac and PC for the first time.

This awesome feature lets you enjoy your favorite PS4 games while you’re in another room, or even away from home — and it’s super simple to setup. Here’s what you need to do.

Android stealing market share from the iPhone the world over

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iPhone SE to the rescue?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android
iPhone SE with Galaxy S7
iPhone SE to the rescue? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android

Apple’s new iPhone SE might be able to take sales from Android in some emerging markets, but it certainly won’t be able to stem the bleeding in many countries, where Google’s platform continues to rob iOS of its market share.

According to the latest figures, Android is up in China, Europe, and even the U.S. as the iPhone’s share falls.