Google Maps for iOS update adds Apple Watch support

After launching its first Apple Watch app back in May, Google today released another with a Google Maps update. 

Google

from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1O0BSGJ
via IFTTT

Twitter reportedly considering dropping 140-character limit on Tweets

After recently extending the Direct Message character limit to 10,000 characters, a report claims that Twitter may soon let users post Tweets that are longer than 140 characters.

from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1O0vUWq
via IFTTT

Review: Updated: Sling TV

Features and FAQ

Update #1: Sling TV is finally coming to Chromecast, Google announced today at an event in San Francisco. The service will update its app with the functionality sometime in the coming weeks, just in time for the new Chromecast to hit retail shelves.

Update #2: Sling TV is now available on current versions of the Amazon Fire HD and Amazon Fire HDX tablets. We'll update the review with our impressions once we test it for ourselves.

Original review below...

Imagine everything you liked about cable. You probably enjoyed surfing the channels, watching the shows people were talking about when they aired instead of months after. And, if you were lucky enough to own boxes of a certain caliber, pausing and rewinding said TV shows in real time.

Now, imagine everything you hated: the costly bill at the end of the month, the bulky, expensive equipment that marred the side of your house and entertainment center. Not to mention the service contract that never seemed to end.

But what if you could get everything you loved about TV without any of those gripes?

That, in a nutshell, is Sling TV.

It's live TV streaming whenever and wherever. No contracts, no equipment and no costly statement.

Sling TV? Is it the same thing as a Slingbox?

While there are some concepts borrowed from Slingbox, Sling TV is in a different league when it comes to cutting the cord.

Sling TV is a US-only service offered from DISH that allows you to watch the channels you'd typically find on basic cable for $20 a month without a contract, subscription to DISH or any pesky cable equipment on your roof or in your living room.

What devices can I use to watch it?

Create an account on DISH's website and use that info to login to the app on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google's Nexus Player, Xbox One and Roku TV. The service will also work on select LG and Samsung smart TVs, and on Macs and PCs via a website portal. The service is expected to come to Google Chromecast later this year.

The system is more eloquent than apps like TWC TV or Xfinity, and while the latter is almost universally available, trying to remember whose name and email you use to login can ruin a session before it even starts.

What channels are included?

So far, channels on the basic, $20-per-month plan include ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel, CNN, Cartoon Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel, AMC, IFC and, most recently, A&E, History, H2, Lifetime, Bloomberg and most recently, Polaris+.

The biggest change to this roster is HBO. Starting April 12 for the premiere of the new season of Game of Thrones, Sling TV will offer live HBO for $15 a month to current "Best of Live TV" subscribers. Also new is the addition of DishWorld multi-lingual content to Sling TV.

In addition to the base subscription, seven add-on packages are available for $5 apiece each month:

• Kids Extra, with Disney Jr, Disney XD, Boomerang, Duck TV, and Baby TV.
• Sports Extra, which includes the SEC Network, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Universal Sports, Univision Deportes, beIN Sports, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Bases Loaded and ESPN Goal Line.
• Lifestyle extra, with Cooking Channel, DIY, truTV, WE tv, FYI, and LMN.
• Hollywood Extra, which includes live and video-on-demand content from EPIX, EPIX2, EPIX3, EPIX Drive-In, Sundance TV and Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
• World News Extra, with HLN, News 18 India, Euronews, NDTV 24x7, France24 and RT.
• Deportes Extra includes Azteca, beIN Español, beIN HD (English), Univison, Univision Deportes and UniMás.
• Películas & Novelas Extra includes Azteca Corazon, Cinelatino, De Película, De Película Clasico, Pasiones, Univision tlnovelas, Univision and UniMás.

Functionality

Now, remember when you asked about Slingbox? Well, it's true, Sling TV and Slingbox share a few similarities beyond the first syllable.

Sling TV allows you to pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV on some channels (note the word "some" there), and the ability to watch shows a few days after they've aired.

Also similar to Slingbox, Sling TV lets you watch its service on most mobile devices anywhere in the world. That is, as long as you can establish and maintain a bitrate of about 1.5 Mbps for high-quality streams, 0.8Mbps for medium resolution, and 0.5 Mbps for low-quality.

Sling TV on Roku

TechRadar was given two platforms to test Sling TV. One was Roku (specifically on a Roku 3) and the other was iOS, which we'll get to in a minute.

By and large, the experience on Roku was everything I've come to love about a cable box: simple functionality, clean layout and crisp picture. Installing the app was as easy as going to Roku channel store, finding the Sling TV app and pushing it to my Roku 3.

Coming from the home screen, Sling TV's interface loads up In a matter of seconds. The time it takes to get from home screen to live TV is astonishing - it's leagues faster than the time it takes my DirecTV cable box to boot up.

Once loaded, the stream was crisp and clear. (This obviously is a YMMV situation, as my home setup isn't identical - or even necessarily in the same ballpark - as everyone else.) A quick test of my network showed I was pulling around 26Mbps over Wi-Fi, which worked fairly well at high-quality 1080p 99% of the time.

The only stark contrast to traditional cable, at this point at least, is the amount of content available on Sling TV.

Comparatively, the 40-or-so channels offered on Sling TV are just a drop in the bucket compared to the over-800 I have available on DirecTV. And because you aren't able to record a show like you can on TiVo, you're limited to watching whatever's on or whatever's been on in the past few days.

Sling TV on iOS

Sling TV on iOS is a vastly different experience. Not only are you trading down to a smaller screen size, but you're also losing connection stability and clean interface of the set-top app.

Using an iPhone 5S for testing, I took Sling TV with me for a gauntlet of daily errands. As you might expect, over LTE the stream was nearly flawless. Dropping down to 3G, however, presented real problems as seconds slipped away to buffering screens.

Problematically, when you return home, continuing what you were watching on your phone isn't as simple as starting up your Roku. You'll need to go into the menu, find the show you were watching and rewind it manually.

Trying to use both a phone and a Roku at the same time won't work either. DISH is clearly (and rightfully) afraid of the account-sharing trap that has befallen HBO Go and Netflix, and doesn't allow two devices using the same account to run the service simultaneously.

Overall, I found the iOS experience less enjoyable than the set-top app, but still impressive. Being able to take TV figuratively anywhere is an appealing, practical proposition for morning commuters or long-distance travelers.

Sling TV on Amazon Fire TV

Sling TV made a splash this week by offering a a free Fire TV Stick to new subscribers. To activate your subscription on your new device, check out Sling TV on the "featured app" section of the storefront, start the download, enter in your account info and soon you'll have live TV on your favorite Amazon device.

The interface on Amazon Fire TV looks almost identical to the service on Roku, which is to say clean and convenient. Pressing the "list" button on Fire TV remotes brings up a channel listing while the three media control buttons do their things on playback-enabled channels.

The service looks a little clearer than it did on Roku - Sling probably set the highest visual quality as a default on Amazon devices - but it does seem to hit a few more snags. The system was stuck in buffering for such a long time at one point that it completely shutoff. Whether this was a one-time fluke or a persistent problem remains to be seen...

Sling TV on Xbox One

When I heard Sling was shooting for five platforms in five months, I had my doubts it could keep up with the development pace. Yet here we are just two months later talking about the fourth version of the system, Xbox One.

If you've used the service on any of the set-top boxes so far, you'll probably know what to expect here.

The channel interface is brought up with a flick of the stick in any direction, while the menu button (formerly known as start) opens up a menu for video-on-demand movies. Last but not least is the share button (again, formerly known as back) that brings up a menu that filters channels by category.

One major change worth noting is that Sling - unlike some apps on Xbox One - actually utilizes the Kinect to take in voice commands and allows you to pin both video-on-demand and specific channels to your home screen.

During testing I noticed a fair bit of latency (38ms compared to 30 on my tablet), which caused the service to stop and stutter multiple times. This occurred with a 4.24Mbps download speed and could be a worrying sign for potential Xbox One users.

Overall the service looks great and is functionally stable on Xbox One, but its performance - as users have noted in the comments - will definitely vary depending on your connection speed.

[Editor's Note: We haven't tried the service on a web browser and Android TV, however we will update the review with that section when it becomes available.]

Verdict

Sling TV is a great solution for users of a certain lifestyle, like restaurant owners who only use ESPN and CNN, or cord-cutters who know exactly the channels that they like.

If you don't fall into those groups, you're not out of luck. The service is just starting, and with more content packs en route, your favorite set of channels may be just a few months out.

Curmudgeons, however, could easily quote Shakespeare's famous line in Romeo and Juliet: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

We liked

At its core, there's a lot right with Sling TV. It presents the clearest alternative to cable we've ever seen. Plus, when combined with a movie streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon and an HD antenna, provides a nearly complete solution.

There's no setup, no fees, and no contract. It's simple, just the way we like it.

Sling TV is also awesomely and incredibly convenient. Whether you're trying to quickly catch up on a show on the go with the iOS app or bunkering down for a marathon on your PC, accessing the service isn't a problem.

We disliked

But no matter how much I liked the service and its convenience, there are still some glaring issues Sling TV needs to fix to score my full recommendation.

DISH still hasn't found the right balance between cost, content offered and features, like letting an additional viewer watch simultaneously or enabling every channel to offer pause, rewind and restart options.

Seriously, the lack of pause and rewind on every station, or a way to record live TV to watch later, is a bummer. And while traditional cable may have cost upwards of $70 per month, there are easily over 100 channels of content available in those services. It can be argued that a typical user only watches seven or eight in a given week but, even so, the options are always there. Sling TV users aren't so lucky.

Verdict

Yes, DISH is offering a $20 a month, contract-free plan that can be streamed to any mobile device and most set-top boxes. But that $20 could easily turn into $30 by the time you tack on the additional two packages. Add on a few more and you'll quickly find yourself paying the same amount you gave to the cable company before cutting the cord.

And $20 a month for 20 channels doesn't present the same content-to-dollar ratio that a service like Netflix or Amazon Instant provides, especially when you consider that you can only have one device active at a time.

Pending a change in pricing or device limitations, though, Sling TV could finally be the straw that breaks corporate cable's back. It's quick, convenient and fits into your life whenever and wherever you are. One thing I won't miss? The customer service.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1KzwE43

Huawei Nexus 6P Special Edition appears in Google Store Japan with gold duds

Google officially unveiled the Nexus 6P at its big event today, and while Google ended up confirming most of the previous Nexus 6P leaks, there was one thing missing from El Goog’s announcement: a gold Nexus 6P. Now that device has quietly appeared.

Google

Huawei

from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1iJc8mz
via IFTTT

Hands-on review: Nexus 5X

Google's Nexus 5X literally gave me a hand, in that it's a smaller one-hand-friendly Android phone, freeing up me from last year's two-handed clunker, the Nexus 6.

Its size is smaller, but the Nexus 5X specs are beefed up, for the most part. It carries a faster processor, USB-C port and far superior camera that Nexus phones have sorely lacked.

It delivers Android Marshmallow, the new update to Google's mobile operating system. It's the best way to get features like Google Now on Tap and the battery-saving Doze mode right away.

The Nexus 5X price is is $379/£339 (about AU$542) for the 16GB version and $429/£449 (about AU$614) for the 32GB model. At that price, spoiler alert, it's not the most powerful Nexus device. That distinction belongs to the Huawei's Google-commissioned Nexus 6P.

But for people without meaty paws who want a normal-sized phone at a smaller price, here's what I experienced during my brief time with the Nexus 5X.

Design

I was able to swipe across the entire screen without strain, thanks to dimensions of 147 x 72.6 x 7.9mm. The phone weighs a light 136g. It's good to be back at 5.2 inches.

The reason the phone is so light is because it's backed by plastic, unlike the all-metal Nexus 6P. It comes in matte finish colors of white, black and greenish blue. Google refers to these shades as Quartz White, Charcoal Black and Ice Blue.

Standing out almost as much as the minty blue color is the fingerprint sensor on the back. This is Google's Nexus Imprint sensor, and it's used for unlocking the phone, activating Android Pay and rivaling everything that Apple's Touch ID and Apple Pay can do.

Unlike the iPhone's biometric sensor that also acts as a home button, the Nexus 5X fingerprint sensor doesn't get pressed down. I just curled my fingers around the phone as normal. Of course, it wasn't set up for my fingerprint, so I was locked out. That works.

The Google representative running the demo, however, was able to speedily unlock the Nexus 5X without a hitch, telling me that it bypasses the lockscreen in 600 milliseconds and learns for better accuracy over time.

On the bottom of the Nexus 5X is another standout design feature: the USB-C port. This makes the connection reversible, but it also renders all of your microUSB cables useless.

The trade-off to USB-C might be worth it. Google says the Nexus 5X battery charges in half the time it takes an iPhone to re-juice and says just 10 minutes of charging restores four hours of battery life.

Specs

The Nexus 5X spec sheet is solid, despite the fact that it's the weaker phone when compared to the more powerful Nexus 6P. Right now, the differences can't be seen without benchmarking tests.

However, the specs begin to tell us everything we need to look for. LG – the handset maker that Google commissioned for this phone – took cues from its own LG G4, with the same Snapdragon 808 processor with a 64-bit 1.8GHz hexa-core CPU.

There's a matching Adreno 418 GPU integrated into this chip, but just 2GB of RAM instead of the 3GB offered by the larger LG G4. One thing this LG phone doesn't have is Google's Android Sensor Hub for activity monitoring that's akin to the powers of Apple's iPhone motion co-processor.

The Nexus 5X doesn't offer a microSD slot. Instead, it relies on internal storage of either 16GB and 32GB, depending on how much you're willing to pay. All versions of the phone run Google's new Android Marshmallow operating system, so there's no need to update.

Camera

Google proclaimed that the Nexus 5X (as well as the Nexus 6P) has the best camera it has ever put into a Nexus device. That's not saying much, considering the average results of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6.

However, loading up the default Google camera app, I found that the Nexus 5X camera may live up to the hype, thanks to its 1.55-micron pixels. These are larger than normal pixels, and therefore can capture more light for stronger indoor photography.

Although the camera sensor is 12.3MP, a lower number than its top-performing Android rivals, the Nexus 5X is able to to capture extra light for superior low-light images. A whopping 80% of photos are taken in low light, according to Google, so this is going to be meaningful for all sorts of indoors situations.

The rear camera is not unlike the ultrapixels found in the HTC One M8. It combines these powers with a f/2.0 aperture, IR laser-assisted autofocus.

This camera records video in 4K at 30 frames per second, while the front-facing camera is 5MP with the normal 1.4 microns and the same f/2.0 aperture.

Early verdict

There's more to come from this ongoing Nexus 5X review, since this is just day one of testing it out. The camera, a hallmark feature, is going to require more indoor and outdoor photo testing.

Right now, the benefits of the size, fingerprint sensor and Android Marshmallow can't be denied. It won't take an awful minute and a half to boot up, like last year's device.

I was able to adjust to the Nexus 6 and appreciate its larger AMOLED display, but I do find relief switching back to a smaller, lighter and cheaper phone. My pocket already appreciates this phone in more ways than one.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1YN1Sur

Hands-on review: Nexus 6P

Introduction, design and display

The new Nexus handsets have arrived, and along with the Nexus 5X we've also been treated to the Nexus 6P – the second generation phablet from Google.

While the Nexus 6 was built by Motorola, Google has switched manufacturers for the 6P with Huawei being drafted in for its first Nexus device.

The Chinese manufacturer has been slowly growing its presence in Western markets and will hope its Nexus project can help boosts its brand outside of Asia.

As for Google, it looks set to really drive forward it's now two-pronged attack on the mobile market. The Nexus 6 was a decent phone, but it had a few flaws. Is the Nexus 6P an improvement? I've grabbed it with both hands to try and find out.

Design

The Nexus 6 was a big phone. It was also heavy. And that made it a bit of a beast to handle. Thankfully, Google and Huawei appear to have noticed this, and the Nexus 6P is a little more manageable.

Screen size has dropped from 5.96 inches to 5.7 inches, which in turn sees the handset's dimensions reduce in both width and thickness. This allows the Nexus 6P to sit more comfortably in the hand, although you'll still notice its heft.

The rounded edges on the rear allow it to snuggle into your palm a little more easily, yet I found it tricky to reach all areas of the screen with just one hand.

For peace of mind, I found a two handed approach much more reassuring, especially as the all metal frame offers little in the way of grip. It slides around in the hand in a similar fashion to the iPhone 6S Plus.

That said, the metal unibody does provide a level of premium appeal to handset, and it certainly sets it apart from the plastic-clad Nexus 5X. The 'P' in the name standards for premium, by the way - not Plus, Power or Penis.

This is the first time we've had an all-metal Nexus device, and the premium tag goes some way to explaining the handset's £499, $499 price tag for the 32GB model. If you want 64GB or 128GB of space inside, you're looking at $549 and $649 respectively.

On the front, you get dual, front-facing speakers above and below the display, while on the rear a circular fingerprint scanner sits centrally. Google calls it Nexus Imprint.

Google has built in fingerprint scanning smarts to Android Marshmallow, and it's made sure its two new handsets take full advantage of the integration.

Then there's possibly the most contentious design aspect of the Nexus 6P. The bulge.

Protruding smartphone cameras are nothing new, but the bulge on the 6P is bigger than most – and that's not necessarily a good thing. It actually only protrudes a little from the body of the phone, but it's the commanding width that makes it look a little odd.

The large black strip at the top of the handset houses the 12MP camera and flash, but it feels excessive and I, for one, am not sold on this particular aesthetic.

It's reminiscent of the questionable stylings of the ZTE Grand S – a handset I witnessed at CES 2013. Almost three years on and it's being rehashed by another Chinese firm. Hmm.

Moving focus to the base of the Nexus 6P, you'll find a USB-C port, rather than the standard microUSB connector. This is the latest connection type for mobile devices, and it's already debuted on the OnePlus 2.

This allows you to plug in your charging cable either way round, making that fumble in dark after you get into bed a little easier. It's something Apple's Lightning cable has offered for a while now, but it's good to see the Android fleet finally jumping onboard.

Display

The 5.7-inch display looks shiny and colorful, and is extremely responsive under touch. The QHD resolution means everything is exceptionally sharp on screen, while the AMOLED technology makes colors bright and vibrant.

It's not quite as impressive as Samsung's Super AMOLED displays, but the 2,560 x 1,440, 525ppi screen on the Nexus 6P is one of the best around.

It's protected by Gorilla Glass 4, which should hopefully see it survive a number of knocks, which in turn is coated in fingerprint and smudge resistant, oleophobic – or oil-repellant – coating.

The Nexus 6P certainly isn't immune to marks though, and even during my swift hands on time with the handset I had to wipe the screen a few times.

Camera, interface, battery and early verdict

Camera

Google has made a bit of a song and a dance about the Sony-made 12.3MP camera it's bolted onto the rear of the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X.

The new lens and sensor have bigged up the Nexus phones' indoor and low light potential, while Google maintains they'll still do a decent job outdoors as well.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First up, the 1.55-micron sensor means the pixels inside the Nexus 6P camera are larger than those in the snappers of the old Nexus 6 and iPhone 6S Plus.

They aren't the largest though, with the iPhone 5S actually having bigger pixels in its 8MP camera, while the ultrapixel technology from HTC outdoes all of them.

Larger pixels means the camera can pull in more light, allowing it to "see" more in darker conditions. That, combined with its laser autofocus means less camera shake, fewer blurred shots and better low light performance.

From my quick play with the camera on the demo booth, the Nexus 6P was certainly quick at snapping pics, but you'll have to wait for our full review to see how it fares in a variety of conditions.

Round the front the Nexus 6P provides you with an 8MP with HDR+, for some top notch selfie action.

Interface

The Nexus 6P comes running the very latest version of Google's mobile platform, Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

It brings with it improved Google Now functionality, fingerprint scanning smarts, better battery life and 'Now on Tap', a sort of mini Google Now for within apps which can be accessed by holding the home key.

I found Marshmallow ran smoothly on the Nexus 6P, thanks to the punchy Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM, ensuring the handset has more than enough power.

Apps loaded quickly, navigation was slick and the Android experience was also highly familiar, with little in the way of design changes between Marshmallow and Lollipop.

Early verdict

The Nexus 6P is a powerful, feature-packed smartphone with a premium design and fresh new operating system.

There are still a few questions over the design in regards to the wide camera bulge on the rear, and it will be interesting to see how the camera holds up during our full review – but this is a phone I very much like.

It'll likely be too big for some, but for those looking for a smartphone with a lot of screen real estate, a wide range of features, premium finish and a price tag which undercuts some of the competition, the Nexus 6P is an exciting prospect.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1KJbVsY

HTC reveals which phones will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Now that Android 6.0 is ready to roll out to Nexus phones, lots of owners of non-Nexus Android devices are probably wondering when they’ll get a taste of Marshmallow. Today HTC has shed some light on its Android 6.0 plans.

HTC One M9

HTC One (M8)

HTC Desire 826

HTC Desire 816

HTC

from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1L2vrCg
via IFTTT