Google Maps starts displaying speed limit signs while navigating

Google Maps has started helping to keep us all a little safer on the roads this week, and the app might just help you avoid a speeding ticket too. A number of app users have noticed that Maps is now displaying speed limit sign information when put into navigation mode.

Based on pictures posted by Reddit users, the speed limit sign appears as a small, unobtrusive notification in the bottom left of the navigation display.  As well as being a long requested feature by commuters, speed notifications have long been available in Google's other navigation app, Waze, so it seems that it's about time that the feature made its way over to Maps.

Other users have spotted the same feature rolling out to Android Auto powered car entertainment systems too. The feature works in the same way as the regular app, but the sign icon appears to be moved over to the bottom right when using the Android Auto version.

This appears to be a gradual roll out on Google's part, as not everyone is seeing the speed signs appear just yet. The speed signs should keep rolling out to a wider audience over the next week or two. It's also not clear in which regions the feature is limited too, if any, and how many roads Google has accurate speed limit data for in every country. Still, it's a pretty neat feature.

Have you spotted the speed signs in Google Maps yet?

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Moto E3 Power to launch in India next week

Last month, Lenovo launched a slightly upgraded model of its low-cost Moto E3, but the handset was only available to buy in Hong Kong. The company has now announced that this Moto E3 Power model will be heading to India next week, or on September 19th to be more specific.

A Tweet sent out from Moto India states that the smartphone will be an exclusive to local retailer FlipKart. The e-commerce store has also put up a new page dedicated to the handset, where you can register to receive an email once the handset go on sale.

There are a few changes to the hardware inside the Moto E3 Power that are worth mentioning. The most notable difference is a larger 3,500mAh battery, up from 2,800mAh. Compared with the original E3, the phone also packs in 1GB of extra RAM and twice the amount of internal storage.

#ThePow3r to enjoy bigger & brighter entertainment like never before.
Only on @Flipkarthttps://t.co/5b8kGeHwIG http://pic.twitter.com/eaiFD74SeY

— Moto India (@Moto_IND) September 12, 2016

The handset comes with a 5-inch 720p display, a MediaTek MT6735P processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded. The phone also boasts an 8 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front camera, and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box.

The Moto E3 Power currently retails for HDK 1,094 (Rs. 9,500 / $140) in Hong Kong. Lenovo also recently launched the similarly speced Moto G4 Play in India for Rs 8,999, so the new Moto E3 Power will likely cost around the same price. Interested?

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YouTube goes social as the Community beta arrives

YouTube has just launched a new "Community" feature on its video sharing platform, which is designed to enable content creators to communicate with their followers in real time. Viewers may spot a brand new Community tab on their favourite YouTube channel from today, but the roll-out is limited at the moment, as the functionality is still in beta.

According to YouTube, creators can use the feature to post text, live videos, images, animated GIFs, and more, directly to their YouTube following. Followers can opt in to receive notifications for these posts, or can simply views these updates in their subscription feed, along with any new videos.

The brand new Community tab on your YouTube channel gives you a new, simple way to engage with your viewers and express yourself beyond video. Now you can do things like text, live videos, images, animated GIFs and more, giving you easier, lightweight ways to engage with your fans more often in between uploads, in real time. Viewers will be able to see your posts in the Subscriptions feed on their phones. They can also opt into getting a notification anytime you post.

The aim is to give content creators a better way to update and communicate with their followers, without having to resort to third party social media sites, such as Twitter or Facebook. Not that using any of these services is particularly inconvenient for many, and those with large communities on other platforms may not want or be able to migrate easily. Still, everything can be kept nicely in one place after this update, for those who would rather avoiding having to use multiple accounts and different sites.

Currently, the Community beta is only live for the following curators: John & Hank Green, to AsapSCIENCE, The Game Theorists,Karmin, The Key of Awesome, The Kloons, Lilly Singh, Peter Hollens,Rosianna Halse Rojas, Sam Tsui, Threadbanger, and VSauce3. Even if you're not a follower, you can always go over there and check out how the new feature works. YouTube says that it will be bringing the feature to other channels in the future, after collecting feedback from the current list of curators. What do you think about the idea?

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Comment from Steve Kondik fuels uncertainty surrounding CyanogenMod

The times when Cyanogen Inc. blustered about "putting a bullet through Google's head" are over. These days, when company executives speak publicly, it's to refute worrying reports about Cyanogen's struggling business.

In July, reports claimed Cyanogen was downsizing its operating system team and "pivoting" towards app development. Then in August, sources told The Information that the user figures that Cyanogen had been bandying about were massively exaggerated. CEO Kirt McMaster, author of the infamous "bullet" comment, called the first story "false" and the other "wrong on so many levels."

Despite the rebuttals, it looks like Cyanogen is indeed going through a transformation. A comment from CTO and co-founder Steve Kondik fuels rumors that the company is indeed changing its focus away from OS development:

"There isn't really going to be much if any involvement from the Inc this time around and I'm taking on a lot of stuff on my own to try and keep us moving forward."

Kondik made the comment in a CyanogenMod commit thread uncovered by Android Police. It looks like Cyanogen Inc. will no longer be a driving force behind the development of the CyanogenMod community project.

Judging from the comment, Steve Kondik still wants to be involved in the project that he founded and turned in the most popular custom Android ROM, but in a personal capacity only.

Kondik's comment is hardly an official statement, but it does gel with the reports about Cyanogen laying off employees from its open source team. Kirt McMaster confirmed the lay-offs, without specifying what teams were impacted.

The loss of Cyanogen could spell trouble for CyanogenMod. While the project is, nominally, driven by a community of independent developers, Cyanogen had dozens of developers working full time on it. At the very least, development of CM14 could slow down significantly.

See also: Understanding the differences between CyanogenMod, Cyanogen OS & Cyanogen, Inc.47

We've reached out to Cyanogen and we will update this post if we hear anything back.

Let us know your thoughts!

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DeskDock app: control your Android device with your PC’s mouse and keyboard

Shutterstock

Merging your computer and mobile devices to create the perfect workflow can be challenging. There are plenty of tools out there, and you can even turn your tablet into a second monitor, but none of those solutions are perfect. Can DeskDock make the cut?

It just might, because this app manages to combine your devices while keeping them separate. What it does is essentially allow you to control an Android device using your computer's mouse (or touch pad) and keyboard.

Of course, the set-up is not exactly simple. You will need to install the application on your Android device, download a server program for your computer (supports Windows, Linux and Mac) and connect them using a USB cable. But it seems the system works great after all is set up, and it is very simple to use.

Just drag your mouse over to the Android screen and start controlling your mobile device. Sharing the keyboard and mouse is not the only cool trick this app has up its sleeve. You can drag-and-drop links, turn the Android device's screen on by dragging the cursor over, connect multiple devices and more. It's even possible to set up shortcuts and customize mouse button actions.

Great stuff, right? This app doesn't sound free… and it isn't, but you could use most features with the free version. But many of us will want to pay the $5.49 for the PRO version. It enables the ability to use your keyboard, drag-and-drop URLs and settings shortcuts. In addition, it gets rid of ads.

Are any of you downloading this one? You should at least try the free version!

Download DeskDock Free Download DeskDock Pro

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Data suggests Galaxy Note7 users aren’t exchanging their devices

The Galaxy Note7 is a hot issue right now – quite literally. Due to battery-related problems, it's been overheating and in some extreme cases, exploding. Samsung responded promptly with a global recall program, but according to Apteligent, users are still stubbornly using their Note7 devices despite all the risks.

Apteligent

As you can see from the figure above, the Note7 adoption rate declined briefly after the official recall announcement. The worrisome part is that the usage rate declined briefly. It actually increased in the beginning of September and sits at the same rate as it was right before the recall. Considering the fact that the Note7 reportedly blew up a man's Jeep and set fire to a hotel room, the lack of change is concerning to say the least.

See also: Galaxy Note 7 recall could cost Samsung $1 billion51

Samsung's recall program differs from country to country, but if you bought your device before mid-September, the chances are your phone has a defective battery. If you are in the US, you can return your Note7 for a Galaxy J loaner phone or return it for the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge. Every major carrier in the US is allowing customers to return their devices at any store for a full refund.

Samsung's recall program differs from country to country, but if you bought your device before mid-September, the chances are your phone has a defective battery.

For Canadian consumers, it's a similar situation. Samsung and the Government of Canada are working together to make sure all defective units are returned. You can click here to register for a new Galaxy Note7 in the official Samsung exchange program. In some European countries, Samsung will be exchanging affected Note7 units from as early as September 19^th.

Samsung has already released a software update in Korea to make sure Note7 devices only charge up to 60% so that heat dissipates sufficiently. Whether you receive the update or not, we strongly advise you to turn your device off and return it at the nearest store as soon as possible. Here's hoping that the usage rate declines in the next few days.

Have you already returned your Galaxy Note7? Leave us a comment down below and let us know!

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Pokémon Go ‘likely’ coming to Android Wear

Android users including myself were obviously a bit jealous when John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, announced during the September Apple event that Pokémon Go would be available for Apple Watch users. The big question was, "Will it be an Apple exclusive?" Well, according to Hanke himself, the answer is likely to be a no.

By now, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you must know just how popular Pokémon Go is. It broke all sorts of records left and right since its debut in July: it reached 50 million installs on Google Play in the blink of an eye, and recently it was titled the fastest mobile game to reach $500 million in revenue.

Among all the fancy gadgets that Apple showed off a week ago, perhaps its announcing that Pokémon Go will come to the Apple Watch garnered the most reaction out of the audience. There's no denying it: the world still loves Pokémon Go, and a good chunk of the world population doesn't own the Apple Watch. It simply wouldn't make sense for Pokémon Go to be limited to just one wearable platform given its insane popularity. And I'm glad to see that Hanke agrees:

Our whole mission as a company is to evangelize this whole concept of playing games outside, real world games. Apple Watch we think is a great vehicle for that. As other devices come on the market – if those are Android Wear devices or if they are devices from other quadrants that are interesting for gameplay and mobility, and being active – we'll look into supporting those, too.

When Hanke was asked specifically if Android Wear will see Pokémon Go, he replied that it's "pretty likely."

We are seeing the Pokémon frenzy die down a bit, but Hanke assures us that the game in its current state is merely the "tip of an iceberg" and that the game will change substantially over the years. Among the possible changes is battling: Hanke says that users will probably be able to battle one another in the future. Given Niantic's expertise and experience with Ingress, another AR game from the company, it would be safe to assume that game updates are planned strategically to retain players.

Are you excited about Pokémon Go coming to Android Wear? Let us know in the comments below!

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