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Vine puts looping videos on your Apple Watch
Vine teased months ago that it was working on support for the Apple Watch, and it's finally delivering on that promise. Grab the updated Vine app for iOS and you can watch those 6-second looping videos on your wrist (either featured ones or those from favorites) whenever you need a quick pick-me-up. You can set your total loop count as a complication, too, in case you're just that close to hitting an important milestone. The wrist-based app doesn't work quite the way it does on your iPhone, as you might suspect. Videos won't automatically play, and the audio goes through the watch's built-in speaker -- keep that in mind if you decide to watch cat videos while you're waiting for the bus.
The Ion Belt: 'sleek,' safe and 'stylish' portable charging
Have you ever wanted to carry an external battery for your phone, but hated the thought of creating even the smallest bulge in your pocket? No? Well, someone decided to fill that niche anyway. Ion Tech Wear is crowdfunding the Ion Belt, a 3,000mAh power pack that keeps your phone alive while it keeps your pants up. It's meant to be a "sleek" and "stylish" wearable that goes with anything, but it comes across as a phone holster-like fashion faux pas -- it's still a little too obvious that there's a gadget on your waist, and you're going to look a little dodgy plugging in that USB cable. This isn't even the first battery belt we've seen, for that matter. If you think you can pull it off, though, you can pledge $89 or more in the hopes of getting the belt in June.
Hoopla's public library app gets Chromecast support
Hoopla, the app that lets you borrow videos, books and music from your local library digitally, has been on a roll this year when it comes to adding comics. Now, it's making a play for your living room by adding Chromecast support for videos. You'll need a public library card to access Hoopla's streaming catalog, as always, but at least you won't have to worry about late fees. Anything you borrow from Hoopla expires automatically (and yes, multiple people can view the same file at once). Digital lending isn't anything new for libraries, but usually it involves fighting with a clunky library website, rather than having everything accessible through a simple app. Hoopla currently covers 865 library systems, and its library now has more than 400,000 pieces of media.
Mini review video: Our verdict on the Droid Turbo 2 in about a minute
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-235272{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-235272, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-235272{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-235272").style.display="none";}catch(e){}On paper, Motorola's Droid Turbo 2 looks like an upgraded version of the Moto X Pure Edition, which was already one of our favorite Android phones. In particular, the Turbo 2 brings more powerful components, a big battery and a shatterproof screen. In reality, though, the Turbo 2 suffers from a slightly dim screen, mediocre camera and loads of Verizon bloatware. The battery life, while pretty decent, is not quite as long as advertised. Also, at $624, it's expensive for what it is, and it's not likely to receive software updates as quickly as the Moto X. Don't get us wrong, it's a decent phone, but given the choice, you'd still be better off with the bog-standard Pure Edition. That's the gist, as you'll see in our mini review video, and if you have time for a longer read, check out our full review here.
Apple Pay will launch in China early next year, says WSJ
Apple's latest iPhones have been a raging success in China, so the lack of Apple Pay in the nation has been a sore point. That's about to change soon, however, as Apple will bring Pay to China by early February 2016, according to the WSJ. Its sources say it has made deals with the company's four state banks, meaning most consumers will be able to pay at stores with an NFC-equipped iPhone 6 or 6s model. The deal is reportedly now just awaiting regulatory approval, and Apple is hoping to launch it before February 8th when China's spring holidays begin.
EE's tiny 4G lifelogging Capture Cam goes on sale
Not content with offering a variety of smartphones and tablets, EE has expanded its accessory portfolio with a range of broadband devices and action cameras. We've already met the Action Cam -- basically a GoPro with 4G streaming capability -- but the carrier also recently debuted another, smaller, connected camera: the Capture Cam. It's taken almost a month, but today the pocket-sized snapper has finally gone on sale, just in time for Christmas.
Amazon starts streaming Prime music and videos on JetBlue
Back in May, Amazon said it would bring Prime Music and Instant Video to select JetBlue flights. Fast forward to today, over six months since the original announcement, and the retailer is finally turning this feature on for Amazon Prime customers. If you're a subscriber who's flying in one of JetBlue's Fly-Fi-ready planes, you can stream tunes, movies and TV shows at no extra cost thanks to the airline's newly developed internet service. The experience itself is built into the Fly-Fi hub, letting you easily access your Prime media library on laptops, iOS and Android smartphones or tablets and, naturally, Amazon's Fire devices. Amazon says this is already working on most of JetBlue's Fly-Fi fleet, with the full rollout expected to be completed by November 26th.
CyanogenMod gives select smartphones an Android 6 update option
Lots of folks still don't have Android 6 "Marshmallow" on their shiny new phones, but owners of some older models can now get it from CyanogenMod. The Nexus 7, LG G4, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, LG G3 Verizon, Moto X 2014 and, yes, the OnePlus One models are all primed to receive a "nightly" version of CyanogenMod 13. There are certain caveats, however. If you're moving from a stable CyanogenMod 12.1 (Android 5.1) version, the team said to prepare yourself for a "dip in quality," due to the fact that nightly releases are considered experimental. Users moving from previous versions will also have to update their Google apps (via OpenGapps, etc.). However, if you're willing to try it you probably already know the risk -- and believe that the bragging rights are worth it.
New York's anti-terror reporting app could easily cause problems
New York state is understandably more anxious than ever about terrorist threats, and it's hoping that some mobile technology will bolster its defenses. Governor Cuomo has launched a campaign that encourages New Yorkers to use See Something, Send Something, a smartphone app that helps you report suspicious activity to officials. While the software is already in use in five states, this promises to be its biggest test yet. It's coming to one of the most populous parts of the country, and one where terrorist attacks have been all too real.
Your future smartphone's screen will hardly need any power
As you're likely all too aware, smartphone screens chew up a lot of power -- that's why turning down your brightness frequently does more to save energy than closing an app. If Bodle Technologies has its way, though, your display will be a virtual non-issue. It's developing a phase change material that uses virtually no power, but is still sharp, vivid and visible in bright sunlight. While a lot about the technology remains a secret, it revolves around sending electrical pulses to flexible, transparent layers.
HP teams up with another giant watchmaker on smart wristwear
HP isn't done reviving its smartwatch partnerships just because it's helping Movado -- far from it. The tech pioneer has unveiled a smartwatch deal with Titan, the fifth-largest watchmaker in the world and a powerhouse in its native India. The two aren't saying much about what their new wearable entails beyond a design that's "responsive, but not intrusive" (what does that even mean?) and its support for both Android and iOS. However, it's safe to say that HP is doing most of the heavy lifting. Like with other Engineered by HP smartwatches, it's supplying the underlying hardware and software while the watch brand focuses mostly on design and manufacturing.
Square's new reader arrives to accept mobile payments and chip cards
We've known about Square's new NFC-friendly reader for a while, and now the point-of-sale gadget is available for use. Starting today, 100 merchants in "select cities" (quite a few, actually) will begin accepting NFC-driven payments like Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay and those newfangled chip credit/debit cards. The reader is a square pad (of course) separate from the company's usual POS setups and sliding readers, allowing you to hover your phone or insert a card to complete purchase. The unit is wireless and pairs with either a countertop system or Square's free mobile app to handle the transactions. However, the new reader itself will set businesses back $49 in order to get started. For the initial rollout, look for the device at businesses in the following cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Seattle, St. Louis Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
Shazam's song recognition just got a lot faster
Shazam is doubling down on what it does best with its latest update: Recognizing songs when your memory (or pop cultural knowhow) fails you. And, for the first time, the app now highlights a search feature on its main page, which lets you dig for more information about songs and artists. The goal, naturally, is to convince you to stay within Shazam rather than hopping over to the web for music research. In my brief testing, the new Shazam app recognized songs from television and radio in a few seconds -- at times it even found a result in under a second. It feels significantly faster than previous versions of the app, which sometimes took over five seconds to lock onto a song. That's not a huge difference, but given that Shazam has been around for years (it was one of the first killer apps back when the iPhone's App Store launched in 2008), it needs to keep improving to keep up with competitors like Soundhound.
Opera Max saves data while you stream music
The data savings of Opera Max for Android may make the most sense when you're watching cat videos, but music matters, too -- listen to a few albums and you'll easily burn through several hundred megabytes. Thankfully, Opera might just have you covered. It just trotted out an update to Opera Max that can optimize your music streaming data by as much as 50 percent in apps like Pandora, Slacker or YouTube Music. The trick is on-the-spot conversion of audio from MP3 or MP4 to the more data-efficient AAC+ format. Yes, that transcoding theoretically affects quality ever so slightly, but it might be worthwhile if you can listen to a few more tunes during your commute.
Samsung Pay gets support for cards from Chase bank
Today, Samsung's making good on a promise recently made to people in the US. The company has announced that its mobile payments system, Samsung Pay, now works with Visa debit and credit cards from Chase bank. Last month, Samsung also said the app would be adding support for gift cards from "top" retailers in entertainment, dining, grocery and fashion, but this feature hasn't officially launched yet. Nevertheless, this shows Samsung is serious about expanding Pay and that, most importantly, it's getting the backing it needs from banks, retailers as well as carriers.
Mastercard gifts Apple Pay users with free London travel
Everyone likes getting something for free, especially when you get to save money doing things you normally do on a daily basis. For the next four Mondays (including today), Mastercard is offering free travel across London's Tube, trains, buses and the DLR for all riders using Apple Pay. That right, as long as you own a iPhone capable of supporting Apple's NFC payment service or an Apple Watch with a Mastercard attached, you can commute to work or roam across the capital for nothing.
Domino's makes ordering pizza dangerous with 'Easy Order' button
With more than half of its customers now ordering via its mobile apps, it's fair to say that Domino's has pizza delivery down to a fine art. But in this modern age, there's always room to shave a couple of seconds off the purchasing process. That's where "The Easy Order" comes in. Domino's has brought one-click pizza ordering to the UK, letting you hit a physical button to get your favourite pizza delivered to your doorstep.
Microsoft app tries to lure you from Android to a Windows phone
It's true that Windows Phone (and now Windows 10 Mobile) doesn't have as many apps as Android or iOS. However, the perception of that app deficit may be just as problematic -- why would you switch to a Lumia 950 if you assumed that none of your favorite apps had Windows equivalents? Microsoft clearly isn't happy with this state of affairs, as it just released AppComparison for Android to help set the record straight. The app (a spiritual sequel to the old Switch to Windows Phone) tries to match the Android apps on your phone with their mobile Windows counterparts, either giving you an exact parallel or the next best thing.
Motorola's Chicago flagship store is the antithesis of an Apple store
Motorola has exactly one retail store, and it's located in the heart of Chicago's downtown Loop district. I happened to be in the area recently and stopped by on a Friday afternoon before its grand opening. As I found, it is, in many ways, the antithesis of an Apple store. Whereas Cupertino's retail locations feel cold, sterile and a little disconnected, Moto's outpost is warm and welcoming, with an earthy décor and smiling staff at every turn. It's outfitted with bright colors, wood panels and leather accents, while devices like the Moto X, G, E and 360 share display space with plants. What's more, the store encourages you to drop its handsets on the floor to prove how durable they are. Given all this, it's a wonder the company doesn't plan to open any more stores outside its home city.
Many of your Android apps send unnecessary hidden data
It won't shock you to hear that Android apps send a lot of data, but you may be surprised at how much of it isn't really necessary... or public, for that matter. MIT researchers have determined that "much" of the hidden data sent and received by the 500 most popular Android apps isn't necessary to the functionality. For example, a Walmart app talks to eBay whenever you scan a barcode -- there's no practical difference when you sever that connection. Out of the 47 apps that MIT modified to prove its case, 30 were virtually indistinguishable from the official versions. The rest only had minor issues, like missing ads.
