Vine app will be paired down and relaunched as Vine Camera in January

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In October, Twitter stated it was going to shut down its Vine six-second video app and service as part of an overall restructuring of the social networking company. The response from the many popular Vine content creators and fans was one of shock, and now Twitter is backtracking a bit from that move, stating that the Vine app will be paired down and relaunched as the new Vine Camera app in January.

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Best funny apps for Android

September 10, 2016

In an announcement on Medium, Twitter stated that the new Vine Camera app will still be able to take 6.5 second videos, and those clips can be uploaded to a Twitter account, or stored in a phone's camera roll. However, users won't be able to upload new videos to the Vine site; that will still be turned into an archive of older Vine clips.

The good news for Vine creators is that Twitter will now allow them to download any of their older videos from the site or through the new Vine Camera app. Finally, Twitter will soon set up a way for people to link their Vine and Twitter accounts so that fans can quickly find Vine creators on Twitter.

Previous rumors claimed that several companies were planning to acquire Vine from Twitter, but so far, those reports have yet to come to fruition.

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Have you considered a pocket-sized PC as a stocking stuffer?

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Well, this is a curious one.

Ockel has created a Windows 10 PC that can fit in your pocket.

For real. I mean, I guess we should have seen this coming, what with Moore's Law in full swing and technology getting more and more compact. Still, the idea of a "portable desktop computer" is an intriguing one.

The Ockel Sirius B is a mini-computer. The device is powered by a quad core Intel processor fueled by 2GB of RAM and has full WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. There's 32GB of internal storage but you can always extend it via the microSD card slot to 128GB. Get this: in contrast to the latest smartphones coming out, it even has an audio jack. What a time to be alive!

The Sirius B has USB and HDMI support, and an HDMI cable comes packaged with the device alongside the power cable and power adapter.

Honestly, this thing is everything it says on the tin. It's a replacement for that clunky, fan-packed desktop PC that's been collecting dust over there for the last few years, but it fits in your pocket. Plug it up to a display, and you're good to go.

What a time to be alive!

When Ockel originally pitched the idea for a micro PC they raised over $450,000 in funding, and the Sirius B is well-reviewed across the board. It's definitely an atypical product for the atypical techie, but it has found a niche following.

Sirius B in a nutshell:

• Compute powerfully on the move w/ Intel-powered Windows 10
• Use this pocket-size PC wherever you want by simply plugging into an HDMI display & connecting to a power outlet
• Quickly browse files & open applications with the built-in 32GB flash storage
• Connect to almost any device you want w/ two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, Micro SD card slot, & AUX in/AUX out
• Browse fast & connect wirelessly w/ ease thanks to built-in WiFi & Bluetooth

If you're in the market for a stand-apart holiday gift (for a family member… or yourself) then this looks like a pretty solid option.

The Ockel Sirius B normally goes for $250, but in light of the holiday season, it's currently on sale for $189. If you refer a friend, Tech Deals will even toss 10 extra bucks your way.

If you're intrigued, click the button below to check it out!

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The AAPicks team only spotlights legitimate, verified deals. If you're not satisfied with this product, Tech Deals offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out at aapicks@androidauthority.com.

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Google is giving out Pixel holiday sweaters at their NYC pop-up

Winter is coming here. While we walk aimlessly about the streets being warmed by our hot cocoa and layers and layers of clothing, there are some that have long since missed the welcoming heat we take for granted. It used to be the case that smartphones would heat themselves up quite a bit after the slightest bit of use, but these days selfish advances in cooling technology have caused our smartphones to keep cool under most conditions. While this might seem jolly and fine for us as users, the brisk winter nights can maker our devices wish for the coming of the summer season.

Google has heard the call of our personal assistants, and has decided to take advantage of its advanced 3D printing technologies to provide these lowly devices with cute little holiday sweaters.

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Google Pixel XL review: a Pixel's perspective

October 27, 2016

Joking aside, ff you stop by a Google pop-up shop in New York City within the next week, you can pick up a free mini sweater for your Pixel device. All you have to do is show the attendants that you have a Pixel, and they will use their 3D yarn printer to make you a custom cover for your Pixel or Pixel XL. The sweaters come in a variety of colors, and have a little 'G' logo being covered in snowfall. If you're one of the first 150 to grab one today, the company will also give you a full sized sweater to rock along with your device.

If you happen to miss the event or don't live anywhere near New York City, you can also pick up a holiday sweater edition Google Live Case, which will give you quite a bit more protection as it is. In addition, you can get a $15 discount on these cases if you use the promo code HOLIDAYLIVECASE. Find them here.

While the sweater obviously isn't going to be very protective for your phone, it's still a nice gesture from the company. For those who want to get a free cover, head over to the popup and let us know what you get.

The company is currently showing off a number of their creations on their Snapchat story (@Google), so head over there if you want to see how these are being made. Looking to pick one up?

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Official TWRP app is now available from the Google Play Store

The group behind the famed third-party Android recovery tool TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) has released something many users have been likely wanting for some time; an official app in the Google Play Store.

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TWRP custom recovery is out for the OnePlus 3T

3 weeks ago

For those of you not familiar with TWRP, it offers hardcore Android smartphones users quite a few features, including a way to flash custom ROMs, install ZIP-file-based updates, create and restore backups of ROMS and much more.

The Google Play Store app allows users a quick and easy way to check to see if a new version image of TWRP for your smartphone is available, and if so to download it to your device.  This process does require a quick redirect to Team Win's download page on its website to get the actual image, but the app's built-in file manager can then find and select the downloaded image. If the phone happens to be rooted, the app also allows users to flash the image to the recovery partition along with the ability to flash downloaded boot images to the boot partition.

The app has been labeled by its developer as an "open beta" so there might be a few bugs that will show up that will have to be fixed in future versions.. However, it's certainly cool that TWRP updates can be accessed through an official Google Play Store app for the first time.

  Get it from Google Play

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Blu R1 HD returns to Amazon after spyware controversy fades

About month ago, a story came out which put the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Blu in quite a bad light. The story revealed that the company, along with a number of other OEMs, was taking data from people's devices and sending it back to China. This raised a number of privacy concerns for its customers, and the company stated that the software was completely accidental and it would be deleting all information taken from user's handsets.

The Blu R1 HD was the company's most popular device on Amazon for many months due to its price to spec ratio, even beating out the Moto G Play for best selling unlocked smartphone. The device was taken off the market about 3 weeks before the controversy arose, which the company attributed to supply constraints, though some users aren't so sure. The device missing from Amazon for that long caused it to miss Black Friday as well as Cyber Monday in the US, and has forced it to be be dethroned as the most popular unlocked device.

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BLU sets the record straight on security

2 weeks ago

The R1 has once again returned to the popular e-tailer, but is now outranked by other Blu devices, as well as the Moto G Play, in the list it used to sit atop. There were rumors that Amazon was looking to rid itself of the company's devices after the controversy, but it seems that they have enough trust in Blu that they are willing to sell the product once again. For Blu's part they've been pretty transparent and have worked hard to help make things right.

One of the biggest reasons the company was able to sell the device so cheap was due to the "Amazon Exclusive" lock screen. Just like with "special offer" kindle devices, the hardware is made cheaper due to the Amazon ads that are shown on the device. While Blu has definitely lost some amount of credibility from its customers over the incident, it is probably going to make it out just fine. While the R1 HD does not currently hold the title it once had, there is a decent chance it will climb its way back up over the next couple of months.

Do you own a Blu device? Was the controversy a deal breaker for you? Let us know.

Buy now on Amazon

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Android 7.0 Nougat rolls out to Sony Xperia X and X Compact

It appears Sony is once again in line for the big Android 7.0 Nougat update, bringing the upgrade to two more of its devices. A new report claims it is currently rolling out internationally for Sony's Xperia X and Xperia X Compact phones.

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Sony's Xperia X "Concept for Android" gives a sneak peek at upcoming Nougat features

November 8, 2016

The report comes from the unofficial Xperia blog, but its stories do tend to be very accurate when it comes to these kinds of updates. It states the build number for this update is 34.2.A.0.266. Sony is rolling it out in select regions so far, including Australia, Latin America, Middle East, Russia, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam. However, the update will likely makes its way to the rest of those phones, including the US, over the next several days.

Sony has already rolled out Nougat updates for the Xperia X Performance and the Xperia XZ phones. The company has been making Nougat available for early adopters as part of its "Concept for Android" testing program in Europe for the past month or so.

Do you own the Sony Xperia X or X Compact and, if so, have you started downloading and installing the Android 7.0 Nougat update? Let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments.

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Samsung has reportedly finished its Galaxy Note 7 battery investigation

It seems that the Note 7 battery saga may finally be behind us, as the company fully puts the issues behind them and marches forward to what is next. A new report claims that Samsung has completed its internal investigation on the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, and has turned over its findings to third-party labs like Korea Testing Laboratory and UL.

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Samsung will kill remaining Note 7's in the US on Dec 19

7 days ago

The report, from the Korea-based The Investor, does not offer any information on what Samsung discovered during its Note 7 battery examination. Previously, the company indicated that it would release its findings to the public before the end of 2016. A third-party teardown of the Note 7 claims that the phone's design did not allow for enough internal space for the large battery. That may have lead to a pressure build-up inside the phone, which could be the reason why some of them caught fire and exploded.

Even when Samsung does release its finding about the Note 7, there are sure to be tons of questions as to why the phone was allowed to ship with this issue without proper testing beforehand. The battery issues were discovered very soon after the phone began shipping in September. Samsung has since stopped selling the Note 7 and has issued a full recall of all of the units that have been shipped or sold to customers.

While Samsung says the vast majority of Note 7 units have been returned, it is taking steps to make sure the few that are still out in the wild are rendered useless, or very close to unusable. It is rolling out updates to those phones in Canada, New Zealand and Australia that cut off its Wi-Fi and cellular data. In Europe, it plans to release an update that will cut its battery charging power down to 30 percent of its normal amount. Later this month, an update for the US market will begin to roll out that will keep the phone from charging completely.

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