Google Play Music hits 5bn downloads, but is this as good as it gets? - Android Authority

Google Play Music has been the official Google music streaming service for years, and it’s just hit a landmark figure on the Play Store.

The music app has reached five billion downloads on the Play Store, according to Android Police. This reportedly makes it the sixth app to cross this mark, following Chrome, Gmail, Maps, Search, and YouTube.

It’s worth noting that all these apps are pre-installed on Android devices, boosting the listed download figures in the process.

Editor's Pick

10 best music streaming apps and music streaming services for Android!

Music streaming has grown up tremendously since its inception and is now among the best ways to listen to music. Many streaming services let you listen for free, which has helped curb the need for …

Unfortunately, this could be the apex of Google Play Music’s growth, as Google will pre-install YouTube Music instead of Play Music on future Android phones. Google confirmed the news on the YouTube blog last month, saying all new devices launching with Android 10 and Android Pie will offer the app out of the box.

Hopefully Google keeps Play Music around until YouTube Music achieves feature parity at the very least. Right now, the new app lacks Play Music’s cloud locker functionality, the ability to halt autoplay, and sleep timer functionality, to name a few features.

What would it take for you to use YouTube Music? Let us know in the comments!

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https://www.androidauthority.com/google-play-music-downloads-1047076/

2019-10-28 08:11:03Z
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Samsung’s ‘space selfie’ balloon crash-lands on Michigan farm - The Verge

A device used by Samsung to launch a Cara Delevingne selfie into space has apparently made a dramatic return to Earth. Nancy Mumby-Welke of Gratiot County, Michigan, heard a loud crash outside her farmland home this weekend and discovered a large object in her backyard. “Unbelievable look what just fell out of the sky and 911 is baffled and it’s caught up in our tree,” she posted to Facebook along with a photo.

“We realized it had fallen from the sky,” Mumby-Welke told NBC News. “It looked like a satellite.” The device carried both a Samsung logo and that of South Dakota-based high-altitude balloon manufacturer Raven Industries, which eventually came to collect the crashed apparatus.

Oh my look what fall out of the sky

Posted by Nancy Mumby-Welke on Saturday, October 26, 2019

“No injuries occurred and the balloon was subsequently retrieved,” Samsung said to NBC. “We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.” The company claims the landing was “planned” and happened in a “selected rural area.”

As PR stunts go, this one was over the top even by Samsung’s standards. The “SpaceSelfie” program involved a photo of Cara Delevingne that was taken on a Galaxy S10 Plus and was supposedly “the world’s first selfie sent to space.” Users could then upload their own photos to a website for a chance to see them displayed on the screen of a Galaxy S10 5G on board the balloon.

“Our relentless pioneering spirit continues to show that amazing things happen on Samsung screens – even from the stratosphere.” Samsung Europe CMO Benjamin Braun said at the launch event. “Our ethos is Do What You Can’t and the Samsung SpaceSelfie is just that. We continually break the boundaries of what is possible with innovation and tonight’s SpaceSelfie launch is no different.”

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/28/20935857/samsung-space-selfie-balloon-crash-landing-michigan

2019-10-28 07:29:24Z
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AirPods Pro Launch Reportedly Happening ‘Next Week’ at Apple’s Local Offices - Wccftech

October is almost over, and with a few days remaining, it’s possible an AirPods Pro launch still materializes. After all, it was reported that the newly designed wireless earphones would be unveiled later this month, with the product expected to arrive with an expensive price tag. According to Ben Geskin, who has revealed some interesting rumors concerning the iPhone 12’s design has made an important revelation, so let us check out these details right away.

It’s Unclear if Apple Will Host a Proper Event to Showcase the AirPods Pro Launch

Ben Geskin, who is widely known for creating unique concept renders of various smartphones and other machines believes that the AirPods Pro launch is expected to take place next week. Of course, some readers might be confused with the terms ‘this week’ primarily due to different time zones. Geskin didn’t reveal the date of the rumored launch, no doubt creating additional confusion in the process.

AirPods Pro will be shown next week on Tuesday / Wednesday at an event / session with journalists at Apple's local offices pic.twitter.com/HFLqpHAGkg

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) October 27, 2019

Thankfully, some people participating in the Twitter thread stated that Geskin’s currently resides in Latvia, and during the time he posted the tweet, it was still a Sunday. Using these facts, this immediately translates into the unveiling happening during the last few days of October and not during the first week of November. According to Geskin, the AirPods Pro launch will either take place on Tuesday or Wednesday (launch might not be held on Wednesday since Apple will release its Q4 2019 financial results), with the press possibly being debriefed about the product at Apple’s local offices.

Did the sources say anything about MacBook Pro 16? Also confirm if it's 29/30th Oct. or 5/6th Nov?

— Shayan Ahmed (@shayanahmed1993) October 27, 2019

Hopefully, the AirPods Pro launch means we’ll get to see the wireless earphones in various color options, as reported earlier. Sadly, we’ve only seen an alleged white colored case so far, so let us hope Apple introduces more finishes in the near future.

He lives in Latvia, it’s still Sunday in where he lives, so he probably meant next week as in the week of October 28th.

— fdsjkhuiw (@wiuhkjsdf) October 27, 2019

Will the AirPods Pro Features Justify Its Pricing?

To bring you up to speed, previously leaked code found in iOS 13.2 beta states the AirPods Pro launch should be accompanied with features like active noise cancellation, as well as rubber tips that block out ambient sound for an improved audio experience. We’re also hoping that this ‘new design’ is accompanied with an improved battery life statistic, otherwise, the rumored $260 price might appear as a ripoff to a lot of customers.

Like always, we recommend that you treat this info with a pinch of salt for now, and we’ll be back with more updates for you in the future. Are you looking forward to an AirPods Pro launch during the last few days of October? Let us know by commenting below.

Source: Twitter (Ben Geskin)

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https://wccftech.com/airpods-pro-launch-apple-local-office/

2019-10-28 06:37:57Z
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Samsung space satellite falls out of the sky, lands in rural Michigan neighborhood - USA TODAY

Taylor Nichole Morris Detroit Free Press

Published 10:42 AM EDT Oct 27, 2019

DETROIT - A pseudo Samsung space satellite fell from the sky Saturday morning in a rural Michigan neighborhood, according to the Morning Sun. 

Nancy Welke heard the crash around 8:45 a.m., just before she and her husband Dan were going to let their horses out, the Gratiot County Herald reported.  

According to Gratiot Central Dispatch officials, the fire department had the roadway where the satellite fell closed due to a large object caught in live power lines. The road reopened 30 minutes later. 

"Unbelievable. Look what just fell out of the sky and 911 is baffled and it's caught up in our tree," Welke said in a post on Facebook.

In an article from Samsung Newsroom U.K., the Samsung SpaceSelfie is a project designed for their consumers to get their pictures in space. 

'HERstory in the making': Two female astronauts made history in NASA’s first all-female spacewalk

"With over 200 hours at 65,000 feet above the earth, the S10 5G will showcase the strength of Samsung’s innovations and how it continues to design products that make what was previously impossible, possible," according to the article.

According to an email statement from Samsung, the landing was planned, and no injuries occurred Saturday when the "Samsung Europe's SpaceSelfie balloon" landed.

“Earlier today, Samsung Europe's SpaceSelfie balloon came back down to earth. During this planned descent of the balloon to land in the U.S., weather conditions resulted in an early soft landing in a selected rural area," according to the Samsung statement.

"We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.”

The new space race: Amazon, SpaceX compete to bring internet to world's most remote places

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/27/samsung-space-satellite-lands-rural-michigan-neighborhood/2478342001/

2019-10-27 15:10:37Z
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10 deals you don’t want to miss on Sunday: $9 Echo Dot, $8 wireless charger, $140 robot vacuum, hidden spy cam, more - BGR

Okay look… we have a great roundup of daily deals for you on Sunday, but there’s one in particular that you absolutely have to take advantage of if you’re a Prime subscriber. Long story short, you can get an Echo Dot for only $8.98! All you have to do is buy a Dot for $0.99 and pay $7.99 for 1 month of Amazon Music Unlimited, then head to this page and cancel AMU if you don’t want it. Before you cancel though, you should probably consider switching since it’s way cheaper than comparable services like Spotify and Apple Music, yet you get unlimited access to all the same music! Other highlights in today’s roundup include a top-rated fast wireless charging pad for just $7.99, a one-day deal that gets you the wildly popular $200 Ecovacs Deebot N79S robot vacuum for just $139.99, a hidden spy camera that’s so covert it should probably be illegal, the best-selling instant read meat thermometer on Amazon right now for just $7.99, the upgraded version of Anker’s most popular true wireless earbuds for only $44.99, an Anker dual-port fast car charger for $14.99, the new faster version of Amazon’s best-selling Wi-Fi range extender for only $22.99, a massive 10-quart slow cooker for only $41.99 today only, and more. See all of today’s top deals below.

Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest deals from around the web. Quantities may be limited. Prices are subject to change without notice and coupons may expire at any time. Some deals may not be available to all customers. BGR may receive a commission on orders placed through this article.

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https://bgr.com/2019/10/27/amazon-deals-of-the-day-oct-27-sales/

2019-10-27 11:39:00Z
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Scientists Take Baby Steps Toward Extraterrestrial Babies - WIRED

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Scientists Take Baby Steps Toward Extraterrestrial Babies  WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/scientists-take-baby-steps-toward-extraterrestrial-babies/

2019-10-27 11:00:00Z
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Gmail dark mode is out now but here's why you face a long wait to see it - Express

The dark mode revolution shows no sign of stopping with everyone appearing to jump on this current tech trend.

This stunning new look is now available on the latest operating systems from Google and Apple plus there’s numerous apps which have now made the switch to the dark side.

Gmail is one of the most recent applications to enable this update with some users gaining access to this colour scheme earlier this week.

Those running the latest versions of Android 10 and Apple’s iOS 13 can instantly apply this dark theme to their inbox and daily messages.

That’s good news if you happen to have the latest software on your smartphone but millions are currently being left without access to this popular new feature.

As spotted by SamMobile, it seems Samsung devices running Android 9 Pie can’t activate dark mode and that means there could be a long wait before it arrives on the latest devices such as the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10.

Samsung is only just starting to release its Android 10 beta on these flagship phones and a full official rollout isn’t likely until early next year.

If you are one of the lucky few who have managed to download the Android 10 beta onto your Galaxy phone then you should find the Gmail dark mode option in your settings.

But everyone else will just have to show some patients whilst Samsung puts its test software through its paces.

Of course, it’s not just Samsung that is yet to fully release Android 10 with Huawei, LG and Sony devices also still waiting for this major upgrade.

Android 10 started rolling out in full on September 3 and was only initially made available for Google’s own-brands Pixel devices and the Essential Phone.

Of course, since its debut, a number of other handsets have been granted access to this update with OnePlus the most recent to announce this upgrade being pushed to devices.

More will follow in the coming months but, until then, you’ll just have to stick with the usual lighter look of this email app.

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https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1195763/Gmail-dark-mode-release-Apple-iPhone-Android-10

2019-10-27 07:00:00Z
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