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YouTube now lets you upload 360-degree videos

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YouTube has just flipped a switch that allows you to upload 360-degree videos. What’s more, these can be viewed both on computers as well as through the company’s app for Android. Support for iOS devices is coming soon, we’re assured.

While viewing a 360-degree video on a computer, you can use the mouse to drag the point of view around, or simply use the four arrows that show up in the top left (as seen in the screenshot above). Read more »

Xiaomi wants to open 100 “experience stores” in India

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Xiaomi has had quite a lot of success in India, with the subcontinent now being the company’s second biggest market after China, when it comes to sales. So naturally it’s thinking about expanding in India even more.

We’ve already heard that Xiaomi wants to start manufacturing phones in India in the future, but now it’s surfaced that it’s also going to open 100 “experience stores” throughout its territory. Read more »

Dropbox for Android gets a PDF viewer and in-document search

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Today Dropbox has released the latest update for its Android app. This will roll out to users from across the world within the next few days. It brings with it two new features: a built-in PDF viewer and in-document search.

The PDF viewer gives you rich previews for all of your PDFs stored on Dropbox, regardless of where they came from. You can also use the Dropbox PDF viewer to take a look at PDFs from elsewhere – for example, those you receive as attachments in your email, or some you may already have on your device. Read more »

Google might soon launch its own VPN service for Android

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Google could be working on its very own VPN service for Android, which might get an official launch at some point in the near future. This revelation comes from a look at one of the apps that are bundled in the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for the Motorola Nexus 6.

After applying the update, among the list of installed apps is something called Google Connectivity Services. You can’t see this in the app drawer, but it’s listed under Settings > Apps > All. You can run it, but only after fiddling with a dedicated app for handling the launch of activities (the string is quite long). Read more »

Google unveils new Chromebook Pixel, it’s faster, cheaper, and has better battery life

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Last month Google inadvertently confirmed that it’s working on a new Chromebook Pixel, and today that has become reality. The company unveiled its latest laptop, and it looks almost 100% like the original from 2013.

However, there are many changes under the hood, and all for the better. First off, the new Pixel is faster than its predecessor, offering you a choice between a 2.2 GHz Intel Core i5 processor or a 2.4 GHz Core i7. Read more »

Multi-window support could be on its way to future Android releases

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One of the few features of Samsung’s TouchWiz that people seem to actually like is the multi-window support (pictured below). This has evolved quite a lot over time, with every new flagship made by the Korean company. It’s now a pretty mature system, in fact. But what if you like Android the way Google envisions it? Well, up until now there’s been no such feature in ‘vanilla’ Android, but that state of things may change soon.

Google is apparently working on integrating multi-window support in Android itself. This might see the light of day with the next major release of the company’s mobile OS. We could hear something about it at the Google I/O developer conference in May, as that’s usually where Google unveils big new Android features. Read more »

HTC PR chief mocks Apple Watch, says it’s as useful as a DVD rewinder

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As you may know, yesterday Apple finally gave us more details about its first smartwatch, including full pricing information. And now it looks like it’s open season for jokes about the Apple Watch from the company’s competitors.

Jeff Gordon, HTC’s Senior Global Online Communications Manager, seems to think that Apple’s first wearable is just a tad more useful than a DVD rewinder. Read more »

Google releases Calendar app for iPhone, complete with Material Design

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Last November Google officially outed its redesigned (and Material Design-infused) Calendar app for Android, and today it’s bringing the same design and features to iOS. The search giant has released Google Calendar for iPhone, and it’s already up for grabs in the iTunes App Store.

Believe it or not, this is the first ever official Google Calendar app for iOS. So far to get Google’s calendar on Apple’s mobile platform you were able to use the system built into the OS, or countless third party apps. From now on you’ll also have this official alternative. Read more »

Moto Maker customization service now live for Moto 360 smartwatch

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Last month we heard that Motorola’s Moto Maker device customization service would become available for the Moto 360 smartwatch too, and today is the day when this has actually happened. Like in the case of the Moto X, you can use Moto Maker to customize your Moto 360 according to your own taste, and it will be delivered to you how you want it.

You can choose from three case finishes – dark metal, light metal, or champagne gold. This is actually the first step if you use Moto Maker for the Moto 360. Read more »

The new 12″ MacBook gets showcased in these official promo videos

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Earlier today, Apple finally made the oft-rumored new 12-inch MacBook official. The laptop is the thinnest the company has ever produced, having a maximum thickness of just 13.1 mm. It’s also sporting a full-metal construction.

These things, as well as many others, are talked about in the two promo videos for the MacBook that Apple has shown during its launch event. And now you can watch these right here. Read more »

Microsoft releases Office 2016 preview for Mac

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Almost one month ago, Microsoft made the Office 2016 preview available for Windows. And today marks the release of the preview for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

As you may have gathered, Office 2016 will be the next version of Microsoft’s cash cow, and it’s expected to be out in the second half of this year. In the meantime, though, the Redmond software giant is working on it. Read more »

Gmail 4.0 for iOS brings quick actions to notifications

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Today Google has released the latest version of Gmail for iOS. Gmail 4.0 comes with a few new features, chief among which is the support for quick actions in notifications. So now when you get a notification about an email, you can archive or reply straight from the notification.

As this functionality is made possible by iOS 8, it will only be available to you if you’re on that version of Apple’s mobile operating system (or its later updates, of course). Read more »

Facebook’s Snapchat competitor now lets you explore and follow interesting people

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Slingshot, Facebook’s answer to the very popular Snapchat, has today added a couple of new features. On both its iOS and Android apps, you now have a brand new Explore view.

This surfaces “funny, inspiring and creative people from across the globe”. It’s basically a list of popular people who are active on Slingshot. And you can immediately follow those who you consider to be interesting. Read more »

Samsung creates official hands-on videos for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, reveals packaging

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Samsung has decided to create its own hands-on videos for the recently announced Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. These include an ‘official unboxing’, in which the Korean company reveals the packaging of the handsets.

The new boxes can be seen in the image above, and they’re certainly simple and understated. Samsung’s ‘official hands-on’ videos each focus on one aspect of the two new smartphones. Read more »

Google is rumored to be working on Android Wear app for iOS

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A new rumor out of France claims Google is currently working on releasing the Android Wear app for Apple’s mobile platform. As you might have imagined, this would enable smartwatches running Android Wear to work with iPhones and iPads.

As this is nothing but an unconfirmed rumor at this point, the usual pinch of salt is advised. The new app for iOS could be launched during Google’s I/O developer conference in May, but it might get officially teased even sooner – so as to make (at least some) people think twice about buying an Apple Watch. Read more »