Xiaomi’s new Android powered TV is a beauty. Photo: Xiaomi
Short of Samsung, there’s no other company that gets as bad a rap for copying Apple as Xiaomi. The Chinese gadget maker, though, has just beaten Apple to market in at least one category. Although a proper Apple HDTV has been rumored by the likes of Gene Munster for ages, Xiaomi has beaten Cupertino to the punch with a beautiful — and affordable! — Android smart TV.
Amazon Fire TV just got better, for free. Photo: Amazon
Apple is trying to make Apple TV more appealing than ever with a lower price tag and HBO Now exclusivity, but Amazon announced today that it’s bringing new features to its set top box too, and they won’t cost customers a cent.
Expandable USB storage, private listening via for wireless headphones, and hotel Wi-Fi support are being added to Amazon’s TV devices. The new features will rollout to customers over the coming weeks as a free, over-the-air software update for the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
The list of new features includes the following:
Glass is going nowhere… yet. Photo: Google
Google’s first foray into wearables didn’t do as well as the company expected. Despite closing the Google Glass explorer program in January though, Eric Schmidt says the project isn’t dead yet. It’s just getting ready for users.
Nest founder Tony Fadell, took over the project earlier this year after the company decided to stop selling the first version of Google Glass. According to Schmidt the technology behind Glass is too important to scrap, so they’ve moved it out of the Google X research lab and are developing it into a standalone unit.
Google’s official Android Wear app for iOSÂ could be right around the corner if you believe the reports, but one developer has been proving that the two platforms can already be forced to play nicely together without any jailbreaking.
We’ve seen Wear receiving iPhone notifications and taking calls, and in the latest video from Mohammad Abu-Gabreyyeh, we see that watches like the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R are capable of controlling music playback, too.
Amazon is planning Prime for apps. Photo: Techcrunch
Amazon is preparing a new app service for Android. It’s called Unlocked, and think of it as free Amazon Prime for apps. But there’s a catch. Apps that are given freely can also be taken away again.
