Dimple NFC buttons sticker campaign gains mini and case options

The Indiegogo campaign for the stick-on Dimple NFC stickers has gained a trio of stretch goals: a mini two-button version, more colors, and a TPU case with two built-in buttons. The two-button Dimple Mini is available to anybody who pledges, starting at $17 for one (existing pledges can be converted into a pair of Dimple Minis), while the remaining stretch goals kick in once the total pledges pass a certain mark.

Color-wise, breaking the $45,000 mark (just over $4,000 away at publish time) will bring options of black, cyan, and pink, while $55,000 brings another three not-yet-determined colors to the party.

But the really interesting stretch goal is at $70,000: it's a TPU case with two built-in Dimple NFC buttons. At $23, the flexible plastic case slots in between the 2-button Dimple Mini and the 4-button Dimple Standard, but provides both protection for your device while adding two buttons that don't have to be adhered to your phone. The cases will be available for the HTC One M7 and One M8, LG Nexus 5, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5. The addition of the HTC One is interesting, as Dimple states that the One's NFC antenna is located around the camera ring (there are only so many openings in which you can put an antenna when the phone is made out of metal), which makes using the stick-on Dimple options rather difficult.

The 4-button Dimple still is on track for an August 2014 ship date, while the 2-button Mini version is looking at September and the cases in October. Of course, the cases won't even be an option unless the campaign crosses the $70,000 mark in the next 31 days.

Source: Dimple (Indigogo)

Android 4.4.3 changelog outs new Nexus devices: HTC 'Flounder' and Google's 'Molly' set top box

NEWS

By Alex Dobie | May 09 2014 | 11:01 am  | 65 COMMENTS

A detailed changelog for Android 4.4.3, a.k.a. KitKat Maintenance Release 2, has hit the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). And lurking within are tantalizing references to upcoming AOSP targets — likely future Nexus devices — alongside current products like the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. First up, the widely-rumored HTC-built Nexus tablet could be in development under the codename "Flounder." And a GoogleAndroid TV-powered set top box also appears to be in the works, and codenamed "Molly."

From Google's own changelog —

project device/google/molly/
e610c57 Set BT minor code to SET_TOP_BOX instead of HIFI.

project device/htc/flounder/

Nexus devices — both phones and tablets — have used fish-related codenames in the past, so"Flounder" would fit the pattern that's been established over the past few years. As for "Molly," the reference to a set top box seems to suggest some kind of companion device to bring the new Android TV UI into homes through a FireTV-like box. There are also mentions of files for DRM, such as Discretix ReadyPlay, which support the idea of the box being a media-centric device. And references to code from NVIDIA being included in "Molly" builds suggest the box may be powered by a hardware from the graphics-centric chipmaker. Elsewhere, an AOSP change spotted by Droid-Life seems to mention HTC's "Flounder" in the context of it being a Tegra device.

With Google I/O coming up in just over a month, there's a good chance we could see these two devices in San Francisco at Google's annual developer conference, so hopefully we won't have too long to wait for an official look at "Flounder" and "Molly." In the meantime, hit the Android Central forums and share your thoughts on HTC's possible return to the Nexus fold, and Google's upcoming living room venture.

Source: AOSP via XDA, Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Half-Life 2 coming to NVIDIA Shield

We just got word that Portal's headed to NVIDIA Shield on May 12. And judging from this bright green crowbar that just arrived at our office (we're gonna owe the receptionist a little something extra this month to explain that one), Half-Life 2 is headed to the portable gaming console as well.

No word on when it'll drop, or what it'll cost.

Because, ya know, crowbar.

Navigating through the new Google Maps 8.0 interface

APPLICATIONS

By Andrew Martonik | May 06 2014 | 3:31 pm  | 105 COMMENTS

Drastic improvements to navigation and search interface highlight app overhaul

Google today unveiled a pretty great refresh to the Google Maps app today, bringing vast improvements to the navigation experience and usability across the board. For once Google has also included a proper changelog with the update, giving us a peek at what's actually new in this update. Beyond that, though, we've found quite a few new additions to Google Maps that are big time- and frustration-savers.

The changes start with navigation but certainly don't end there — the new version of Google Maps makes it easier to search and find places with new filters, get public transit directions with more accurate times and search abilities, save and manage maps for offline use, and keep up with all of the places you've been and need to review.

This is a big step for Google Maps, and we're going to walk you through all of the big (and small) features of this update.

Navigation - Lane guidance, ETA and route switching

  

As we noted before, one of the biggest changes in version 8.0 of Google Maps is the navigation experience. It's been a few versions since we had anything notable to say about the navigation in Maps, and we're glad to see a visual and feature refresh here. Navigation mode has a new layout, with the bottom bar now showing distance, travel time and ETA in one area. Tapping the bottom bar toggles your step-by-step directions quickly, and hitting the double arrow button in the bottom right corner zooms out to show you multiple routes.

At any time during navigation you can now tap a different route to quickly change your course, whether that's from the main interface or from the zoomed-out multi-route view. As you're going along your route small boxes will pop up to show the current time of that trip, giving you more information to decide whether or not your route needs to change.

  

When you do pick your route, Maps will now show so-called "lane guidance," which shows in the upper-left corner of the interface which lane you should be in to make the next turn or exit before you get there. It shows how many lanes are on the road, which you'll need and how you'll be turning from that lane. Lane guidance isn't available everywhere, and if you tap on the lane information you can report issues with that lane guidance.

If you tend to use public transit or walking more than driving, you'll be glad to know that those options have been improved as well. While the same "depart at" and "arrive by" times are still here, Google says they've been improved. (And don't forget the "Last available transit" option!) When searching for transit or walking directions, you'll also now see an option to call an Uber car if you have that app installed, and have Maps launch you to the Uber app.

​Main interface - Better saved maps, 'Places to review' and search filters

  

There's so much more Google Maps is capable of outside of just navigation, and version 8.0 of the app hasn't left it all behind. Offline map support is being beefed up in this release, making it easier to select a larger area and manage your different maps. From the main interface, hit the profile button on the far right edge of the search box and scroll down to "Offline maps" — you can then view and manage your offline maps, including downloading large areas. They expire after 30 days on your device (at which time you can just re-download them), but it's super useful to cache a large map area before heading out on a trip.

Back to the profile screen, you'll also now see a "Places to review" option at the top where you can tap to view places you've been recently and submit reviews if you forgot to at the time. When searching for new places, such as bars or grocery stores (the essentials), you can now apply search filters by price, rating or hours — you can even narrow places down by whether or not people in your circles have been there.

There's a lot to digest in this bump to version 8.0 in Google Maps, but there's something for everyone in this release. Get to familiarizing yourself with the latest Google Maps update from the Play Store link at the top of this post.

Huawei Ascend P7 hands-on

SMARTPHONES

By Alex Dobie | May 07 2014 | 1:34 pm  | 44 COMMENTS

Huawei improves upon earlier efforts with a glass-backed chassis, redesigned software and new camera tricks

At an event in Paris, France today, Huawei officially unveiled its new high-end flagship phone, the Ascend P7. It's the latest in the Chinese manufacturer's premium "P" range, building on last year's P6, which the company says sold 4 million units across the globe. The P7's design heritage is plain to see — from the metal trim around the top and sides to the curved edge down below, this year's Huawei flagship looks an awful lot like last year's.

The biggest external change can be seen when you flip it over — the back panel is now made of glass, and sports a reflective pattern not unlike LG's "crystal reflection process," seen on the Optimus G. This effect comes to life through a combination of seven layers, Huawei says, and if you look close enough you can make some of them out — one forms concentric circles leading out from the "Huawei" logo, for instance, another is a checkered pattern. By any standard, the P7 is a good-looking phone. It's also extremely light, much less heavy than most 5-inch smartphones we've used.

BY ANY STANDARD, THE P7 IS A GOOD-LOOKING PHONE.

When it comes to internals, Huawei's taking aim at the big boys, flaunting comparisons with the iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 in today's presentation. It's powered by a Kirin 910T from the Huawei-owned Hisilicon, a 1.8GHz quad-core part and a relatively unknown quantity. The device seems speedy enough most of the time, though there are unfortunate instances of scrolling lag in some apps like the Play Store, Twitter and the notification shade. We'll have to see how it holds up once we've had the chance to load it up with apps, especially since the Ascend P6 turned out to be somewhat sluggish. The P7's homegrown CPU is backed up by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (of which 11.39 is available out of the box).

One important area Huawei hasn't compromised is the display — the P7's 1080p in-cell panel looks as good as any we've seen, delivering vivid colors and solid daylight visibility.

Both cameras are a big focus of the P7 — the front-facer clocks in at a selfie-friendly 8 megapixels, and is backed up by a bevy of software features. These include a pretty neat panorama function for taking shots on the front-facing camera with more people, and an assortment of beautification options. The rear camera is an 13-megapixel unit powered by a Sony sensor and a surprisingly capable camera app. In our brief testing of the device in daylight it doesn't seem to match up to the quality of shots from the Xperia Z2 and Galaxy S5, but it's a capable shooter all the same, showing promise in low light.

HUAWEI'S UI IS MORE CONSISTENT THAN BEFORE, BUT ELEMENTS OF IT REMAIN SOMEWHAT OF A HODGEPODGE.

On the software side, Huawei's loaded up Android 4.4.2 KitKat and its new Emotion UI 2.3. The interface is just as customizable as ever through the Themes app, with several official skins loaded out of the box, and many more available online. The default skin, characterized by rounded icons and soft gradients, seems more thoughtfully crafted than the previous version, though elements of the experience remain something of a hodgepodge, with a few conflicting visual styles presenting themselves in the phone's various menus. And the default home screen setup, with no separate app drawer, may be somewhat jarring to Western smartphone users unfamiliar with Huawei's way of doing things.

An assortment of software features are available besides the standard Android stuff — a "phone manager" app allows you to keep track of which apps might be using too much memory or CPU juice. There's a "simple home" mode for those wanting a less complex experience, and an "Ultra Power Saving" mode, as we've seen from HTC and Samsung, which pares back the phone's higher functions to extend battery life.

So the P7 is a solid effort, particularly in terms of hardware, where its use of glass sets it apart from some of the plastic-based competition. But it's not as buttery-smooth as the high-end competition, and it remains to be seen whether the company's software experience, which seems more closely tied to MIUIthan vanilla Android, will prove as usable as rivals' visions of the OS.

The Huawei Ascend P7 will launch globally starting in June, priced at €449 off-contract.