How to share PC's internet connection with Android smartphones

Most Android smartphone users depend on traditional methods, using a SIM card or via WiFi, for internet connectivity. However, you can also use your PC's internet connection on your Android smartphone. Here is a step by step procedure in which you can use your PC's internet connectivity on your Android smartphone.

Step 1:

First of all you need a USB male to micro USB male (as shown in above picture).

Step 2:

Using the above mentioned connector, connect the smartphone with the PC. You have to use the micro USB part in the smartphone while the full size USB part is to be plugged in to female USB port of the PC.

Step 3:

After connecting the PC with the Android phone, go to Settings menu of the smartphone. There you should locate and click the "More" option under Wireless and Network.

Step 4:

There you will see the "USB Internet" option. Just click the adjacent box.

Step 5:

This will open the "Select PC system version" page which will have a dropdown menu from which you should select the option according to the operating system of your PC - viz Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

Step 6:

As soon as click your desired operating system option, the "Next" option at the bottom of the screen will get activated. Tap on the same to go forward.

Step 7:

The following screen will have certain instructions, just follow them. If there are no instructions, do as stated below.

Open network connections on your Windows PC. Then right click the connection that you want to share and then click on properties. Click on the sharing tab, and select "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection.

Step 8:

After that, click on the "Done" tab which will activate internet on your smartphone. Now you could see the USB internet active message both on the notification bar as well as in the Wireless and Networks section.

Disclaimer:

Please note that not all smartphones come with the USB internet feature. Few manufacturers do though arm their smartphones with this feature, HTC One, WickedLeak's Wammy Titan 3 and the Huawei Ascend Y511 are few devices for instance which come with this feature.

Some applications, available in Google Play store, too provide this feature (referred as reverse tethering). However, these apps require root permission for which you have to root your device which is risky and is not advisable as it voids the warranty and may leave your device dead.

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How to secure your smartphone and tablet

Mobile devices undoubtedly have become an integral part of our lives, as the number of mobile Internet users in India is expected to reach 213 million by June 2015 as per Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and research firm IMRB. Driven by strong adoption of cheaper smartphone penetration, affordable data plans and the need to stay connected, this number is expected to increase by 40 million in the next six months.

However, most of the smartphone users are not aware of few basic things that are essential for their device's security. Mobile and PC security solution provider, Norton has thus recommended these basic things which can be very effective in protecting one's personal and crucial data stored in his smartphone or tablet.

1. Don't leave your device unattended

Don't leave your smartphone or tablet unattended in public: It only takes a few seconds for someone to use an open device to collect login information and copy passwords. Someone can also send out emails from your official ID, so make sure to lock your screen even if you're going to be away from your device for a short while. Nothing can be more embarrassing then spamming your professional contacts.

2. Put a password on it

This is one important way to avoid unauthorised access, yet too many of us use simple passwords that are easy to guess. Also, configure your device to automatically lock after a period of time. Don't write passwords down; commit them to memory.

3. Install a mobile anti-malware on your device

This might seem unnecessary, as most people don't realise that mobile devices are equally exposed to viruses, spyware, malware etc. as PC/laptop.

As per Norton, in India, 57 percent users aren't aware that security solutions for mobile devices exist, while 63 percent have experienced some form of mobile cybercrime in the past 12 months. As mobile becomes the fastest-growing target for cybercriminals - with sophisticated attacks such as ransomware, identity theft and spear-phishing becoming a reality. Therefore, it is mandatory that you install an anti-malware protection that establishes a security perimeter around your device - to detect the existing and emerging mobile threats and keep the software updated. This way, no matter what the bad guys have up their sleeves, you can keep your information and device safe. Opt for a reliable product to do this job.

4. Backup your data

Most of us have first-hand experience or have heard of someone who had their mobile device stolen, or their account locked, leading them to lose their files such as contacts, images, music playlists etc. One way to avoid such heartbreaks is to regularly back up files. It is relatively easy to do, and many devices have the capabilities to backup data wirelessly, so you can quickly restore the information on your device if the data is lost or accidentally deleted. If you lose your device, you should be able to swipe the data off the phone and retrieve the information on another device.

5. Examine an app's reputation before downloading

Shop and download apps from trusted app markets after reading a few reviews and ratings. While apps ask for access to many features on your device, many users don't examine these permissions carefully. This allows malicious app developers to persuade users to grant unnecessary permissions - accessing your identify, contacts, gallery, location etc. Beware of the implications before granting access.

6. Scan the WiFi hotspots and Bluetooth devices before connecting

Don't allow automatic connections. Some mobile devices are set up to automatically connect with available WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices. Disabling this option will prevent your phone from connecting and transmitting data without your knowledge.

7. Keep a tab on who has access to your device

The way households connect to the Internet has changed considerably in recent years. Users who use their devices for personal and professional purposes must be well aware of who all have access to their devices.

According to Norton Report 2013, 66 percent of consumers use their personal device for work and play. While 51 percent of parents let their kids play, download and shop on their work device. Such practices must be avoided. Remember, protection should focus on the information - and not just the device.

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Lenovo K4 Note Teased for Release in January 2016 with 3GB RAM

If you don't remember, Lenovo teased a “Killer Note” smartphone a few weeks ago and confirmed that the device would be launched in early 2016.

Although the Chinese company did not share any details on the name of the phone, we can safely assume that Lenovo will be launching the sequel to the K3 Note phablet that's been so popular in Asian countries.

Today, Lenovo is back with yet another teaser that confirms one specification of the upcoming “Killer Note” device, as well as the fact that the smartphone will be launched on the market next year.

According to the Chinese company, more than 99% of its fans preferred 3GB RAM in the upcoming smartphone, which is why Lenovo has decided to meet that demand and included that amount of memory inside the K4 Note.

Lenovo continues to refer to the upcoming phone as “Killer Note 2016,” so we can safely assume the smartphone will not be unveiled until next year.

It might be unveiled in January at CES 2016

Since CES 2016 is so close, there's a high chance Lenovo K4 Note will be unveiled in early January during the trade fair, but we don't rule out the possibility of being announced during a dedicated event that will take place in India.

Unfortunately, there are no details on the phone's specs sheet apart from the fact that it will come with 3GB of RAM inside.

However, rumor has it that Lenovo plans to include MediaTek's powerful Helio X10 chipset inside the K4 Note, but the information hasn't been confirmed yet.

We do expect Lenovo to continue to tease its “Killer Note” handset in the coming weeks, so additional information about the smartphone might be revealed soon.

Even though Lenovo K4 Note will be initially launched in India, and probably China too, the high-end smartphone is likely to make it to other countries in the weeks to follow.

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Android 6.0 Marshmallow Beta Update Rolls Out to Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in the UK

Samsung announced a few days ago it would kick off a beta program for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but only in South Korea. However, it looks like the beta testing program has been expanded to other countries.

According to SamMobile, Android 6.0 Marshmallow beta update for Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge is now available for download in the UK.

It's unclear how many devices have been chosen by Samsung to receive this important update in the UK, but we can safely assume that not all Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge smartphones will receive it.

Those who somehow managed to enroll in the beta program should ready their handsets since the update is about 1.2GB in size.

RAW support and new animations have been added

The main improvement included in the update is the option to save images in RAW format, but also a new power menu.

Those lucky to have received the update on their phones also report the TouchWiz UI has been enhanced with many fluid animations and effects.

There's also a Pro mode in the camera application, which includes a new option that allows users to select the shutter speed for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

A new option to customize lockscreen app shortcuts has been implemented as well, along with a new ability to add apps to a folder directly from within the folder.

Also worth mentioning as far as new features included in the update are concerned is Google Now On Tap, along with app permissions feature. Also, there's a new option that allows users to enable or disable fast charging. New colors for quick settings panel are also available.

Obviously, there are many new under-the-hood changes, which haven't been detailed by those who installed the update. The beta testing program will last until January 18, 2016, after which we should expect Android 6.0 Marshmallow to drop any moment.

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Xiaomi Mi5 Leaks in New Renders, Shows Large Physical Home Button

One of the first smartphones powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor that will be available on the market, the Xiaomi Mi5, is expected to be announced next month.

The last Xiaomi flagship device dates from more than a year ago, but the Chinese company was forced to delay the launch of the Mi5 in order to pack one of the best chipsets soon to be available on the market, Snapdragon 820.

In fact, things are a bit unclear when it comes to Mi5, as some sources claim Xiaomi plans to launch a few versions with different chipsets inside.

The most expensive could be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor while the cheaper version should be powered by MediaTek's Helio X10 CPU.

Even though the phone hasn't been officially announced yet, a few new renders of the Mi5 have just leaked online (via Gadgetzarena).

These are some of the best-looking pictures showing the Xiaomi M5. It's also the first time that we see the bottom side of the smartphone, which appears to feature a Type-C USB port.

Still no Quad HD display for Xiaomi's flagship smartphone

Since the handset comes with a long physical Home button on the front, it's safe to assume that the Mi5 will pack a fingerprint sensor under this button.

Rumor has it that Xiaomi Mi5 will come with a 16-megapixel main camera, as well as an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

The smartphone may pack either 3GB or 4GB of RAM, depending on the model. Also, the Mi5 should sport 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, but there's no mention of microSD card slot.

Last but not least, Xiaomi Mi5 is likely to be powered by a 3,600 mAh battery, and it should sport a 5.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) rather than Quad HD resolution.

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XOLO Black with 3GB RAM, Android 5.0 Lollipop Launched for $180

Many Android fans in India remember XOLO's Black smartphone launched back in July, which packs an octa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 5.5-inch display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.

It looks like the Indian OEM has decided to kick it up a notch and has launched an upgraded version of the popular XOLO Black.

The new smartphone has been officially introduced in India with the same name, but surprisingly, at lower price and with better specs.

Although XOLO Black sports a similar 5.5-inch OGS (One Glass Solution) capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and features Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating, the device packs more RAM than the previous model.

While the original XOLO Black comes with 2GB of RAM, the new model features 3GB of RAM inside. Both variants are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipsets and pack 16GB of internal memory that can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card slot.

According to a new report, the improved XOLO Black will be available for purchase in India beginning December 29. Customers will be able to pick this one up for just Rs 11,999 outright, which is about $180 or €165.

Exclusive to Snapdeal

It's also worth mentioning that XOLO Black will be exclusively available in India through major retailer Snapdeal. Keep in mind that you will have to register on the retailer's website for the pilot flash sale on December 29.

XOLO Black ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system right out of the box and the company's HIVE Atlas UI on top of it.

Other highlights of the phone include a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, a 2-megapixel front-facing photo snapper, and a 3,200 mAh battery.

Last but not least, XOLO Black offers both 4G LTE and Hybrid dual-SIM support, as well as other connectivity options such as 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS with AGPS.

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Action Launcher 3 for Android Updated with Marshmallow Icon Pack

Most of these improvements are related to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, so those who haven't upgraded to the new version of the OS will be able to take advantage of all these enhancements to get used to the new features included in Marshmallow.

One of the major new features implemented in this update is Quickedit, a menu that allows users to quickly uninstall, edit labels, or find app info.

Apart from that, developers have also confirmed they have added support for Marshmallow's permission system. Smartsize icons is another new feature announced by developers, even though it's only available in a beta form.

With this new feature, icons will be automatically resized to fit in the Material Design icon grid. Also, a bundled Marshmallow icon pack has been added too, which should come in handy to those who own non-Nexus devices.

Users can now become supporters of the application

The official changelog also mentions developers have done a complete overhaul of the icon picker and included a new image crop functionality.

Developers have confirmed they have added bundled Google Calendar icons that display the correct day for each day of the month.

There's also a new Supporter pack that is now available for purchase, which allows users who bought the application a long time ago the option to make another purchase.

Last but not least, developers have announced that the free version of Action Launcher 3 can now apply icon packs and that lots of bug fixes have been implemented.

You can now download Action Launcher 3 for Android for free via Google Play Store. The application should be fully compatible with all devices running Android 4.1 and up.

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Futuristic online shooter Space Jet soars into Google Play

There are plenty of great space-themed shooters available on Android, but not many of them have a ton of online or multiplayer capabilities. If you’re looking for one to fit that bill, you might want to try out this new game that comes to us from Extreme Developers. Space Jet is a futuristic shooter that’s played entirely online, allowing you to constantly compete with other folks around the world in real time. There are plenty of daily challenges to complete that will help you win in-game currency so you can upgrade your ships.

The premise of Space Jet is simple – team up with other players and try to eliminate the enemy by any means possible. You can choose from 20 unique ships, and each one is upgradeable by using in-game gold and silver. You can upgrade your ship’s weapons, engine, shield and armor. Over a dozen camouflages and decals can also be added to your ship, allowing you to personalize it a bit more. There are tons of maps as well, so you probably won’t get too bored with this title very quickly at all.

It should be noted that a permanent internet connection is required to play this game, so keep that in mind before you try to play it without a Wi-Fi connection. Space Jet is free from the Google Play Store with optional in-app purchases. Interested? Follow the Play Store link below.

DOWNLOAD SPACE JET FROM THE PLAY STORE

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Whatsapp may gain video calling in future update

The Whatsapp team is working on adding compelling new features to the uber-popular messaging service. If one report from German website Macerkopf is accurate, video calling may be coming to Whatsapp in a future update.

Macerkopf got hold of two screenshots showing a video calling interface. The images are reportedly from a beta version of Whatsapp for iOS. Version 2.12.16.2 is said to be undergoing testing internally, and there’s a good chance that an update bringing video calling will be coming in the next weeks to the public beta versions of Whatsapp for Android and iOS.

The screenshots show a simple interface, with buttons for muting/unmuting the conversation and for switching between the rear and front camera. There’s a small preview window that can be moved around, and that’s pretty much it.

Besides video calling, the internal beta also features tab conversations – each convo will reportedly live in a tab, similar to how Chrome manages web pages.

The addition of video calling comes after Whatsapp introduced voice calling back in spring. The Facebook-owned company has been trailing competitors in terms of functionality – apps like Skype, Hangouts, and even Facebook’s own Messenger all include voice calling and other advanced features.

That said, less is more in some cases, and Whatsapp’s relentless growth since it was acquired by Facebook shows that the folks behind it know what people want. Whatsapp boasted 900 million users in September, and it’s probably going to hit the 1 billion milestone very soon. In some countries, like Brazil, it’s used by more than 90% of the population.

As it was the case with the voice calling feature, Whatsapp will probably activate video calling for a small number of users first, to get feedback and avoid server overload. 

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Genius now displays song lyrics no matter what music app you use

Genius has unleashed an update that will give you live lyrics to whatever song you’re listening to. What’s particularly brilliant about it, however, is that you don’t have to use any particular app to get this service. Whether you’re listening to Pandora, Google Play Music, Spotify, or whatever, Genius will hunt down those lyrics and make them available in a tap.

Genius, which was originally “Rap Genius,” has made a lot of progress over the past two years. What started out as a collection of rap lyrics hardly competitive with larger lyric-based sites has grown and evolved into something much more mainstream and much more interesting. The company’s service is unique because it offers high quality annotations alongside lyrics. Previously, the closest we came to this kind of in-text interpretations were the meandering and often vapid comments over at SongMeanings. Last year, Genius launched an iOS app, but it wasn’t until this past August that the lyric database hit Android.

Currently, the app does not allow users to add or edit annotations, but the company says they are working to bring this functionality to Android as soon as possible. Once that feature becomes available, Genius might just become a ubiquitous app for music lovers.

To give the app a spin, click the button below to download it from the Google Play Store.

GET IT FROM THE PLAY STORE

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Log in to your Google account on the PC using your phone, no password needed

If you’re anything like me, at any given time you probably have close to a dozen or more accounts online (email, memberships to services, bank accounts, etc), all of which require a password. That means you have at least a few different passwords to memorize, as using the same password for everything isn’t exactly the most secure route to take. While a completely password-free life isn’t quite attainable just yet, Google is testing out a method that can free us from one of these passwords at least.

According to a post from Reddit user rp1226, Google is apparently testing a new feature that allows users to log into a Google account on their PC without having to input a password. As an alternative, you simply enter your email and your phone will get a notification telling you someone is trying to sign in from another device. If you let your phone know that this person is you, it’ll automatically authorize the entry – no need to enter a password.

Obviously this feature doesn’t just magically work, it first needs to be set up. For rp1225, he first got an email letting him opt into the program, and then he had to set up the option by authorizing a compatible device. After the one-time setup, he was good to go.

There’s still several unknowns to this new login option. First, it’s unclear if this feature will be rolled out to everyone in short order, or if rp1226 was just lucky enough to be given early access. Second, it’s hard to say what devices are on the compatibility list. This particular user happens to have the Nexus 6p, and it’s certainly possible that this could have been the reason he was chosen as a tester.
Regardless, this is a pretty cool feature. Personally, I don’t mind entering a password and see this as more time-consuming, but for those constantly changing passwords or those that have trouble remembering them, this could certainly come in handy.

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Samsung SideSync just got Marshmallow support

If you’re one of the .5% of Android users who already has Marshmallow, then you probably don’t understand the agony it has been for the rest of us waiting around for Android 6.0 to arrive on our devices. Now Samsung device owners might hear a few notes of hope in the wind, because Samsung SideSync just released an update to make it compatible with Marshmallow. This update would seem to indicate that Android 6.0 will be arriving on a Samsung device sometime in the near future.

We don’t have anything official for now, but it seems unlikely that Samsung would push out this app update months in advance of an OS update. The changelog for SideSync notes that a handful of features won’t be activated until “after Android 6.0.” Said features include improved user interface, some notifications tweaks, and the ability to save files in user-defined folders.

Samsung SideSync is an app that allows you to quickly integrate your Android smartphone and PC experiences. You can sync content between the two devices and even share mouse and keyboard input. SideSync allows users to copy and paste from PC to Samsung smartphone, and you can even use screen sharing. The app was initially released in 2013, but has since become something of a staple utility for some Samsung users. Click the button below to download it from the Google Play Store.

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Google’s VP of Material Design talks about working on an iPad, reveals favorite mobile devices

Matias Duarte, the former Director of Android User Experience and current Vice President of Material Design at Google, has been shaping and molding the aesthetics of our favorite operating system ever since Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Duarte’s guiding hand is evident in Google’s Material Design, which he describes as “a sufficiently advanced form of paper as to be indistinguishable from magic.”

This Sunday, Beautiful Pixels hosted an interview with Google’s design champion to ask him some questions about his work life and the tools he uses most frequently. In the interview, Duarte speaks highly of Apple’s design and doesn’t hesitate to reveal that he regularly works with an iPad.

Duarte comes across as someone who is genuinely thrilled that our technologies are converging on devices across brands saying “iOS users are very important to Google!” However, when asked what software he prefers to use, Duarte reveals that he’s got something of an old school streak in him:

Still the tools I use the most on a day to day basis to explore and articulate design ideas are whiteboards, notebooks, and Google Docs. Like I said, I’m excited about OneNote because I think it could become my personal digital portable whiteboard, but for nuanced sketching, I still haven’t found something I’m as comfortable and proficient with as paper and ink.

The Material Design VP’s preference for the tactile and physical shows not only in Material Design, but also in his preference of mobile devices. When asked, Duarte revealed that aesthetics and durability rank right up there with hardware specs for him.

For work I have a Nexus 6P, but I also have a Moto X with the teak wooden back that I love. It’s long in the tooth though, so I need to find something to replace it…I also absolutely love my Sony tablet, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. It’s an amazing small tablet, super thin and light, and best of all, waterproof! On vacation, I’d see everyone else sitting in their deck chairs reading their tablets anxiously, and I’d just slip into the pool with mine and order a MaiTai. I know that seems super indulgent and niche, but actually I feel like that’s an important unsung part of the future — making technology robust enough that it’s not precious but just part of everyday life the way we want to live it.

For more info, be sure to check out the full interview at Beautiful Pixels. 

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Badland 2 is coming soon to Android

It’s been a little over two years since the Finland-based developer Frogmind brought its extremely popular Badland game to the Google Play Store, and now it looks like we’re getting a sequel sometime very soon. Badland 2 just launched on iOS a few days ago, which means a release on Android is imminent. According to a few responses on the developer’s various social networking pages, Frogmind is working hard on the Android release, and it should be on its way soon.

So what does Badland 2 bring to the table? It’ll likely be very similar to the original Badland. You’ll still get to control the cute little forest dwellers on a mission to find out what’s happened to their home. You’ll run into various traps and obstacles along the way, too. Even though this may not be the description that’ll be posted on the Play Store, take a look at the official description for Badland 2 on the Appstore:

Witness the award-winning world of BADLAND in even more stunning beauty with levels that extend and scroll to all directions. Survive through new elements such as liquids, flamethrowers, frost, magma, water and volumetric burning light. Fall down deadly rifts, fly to any direction and race & jump along the surfaces as a rolling character on your way to safety. Challenge your friends and strangers in constantly updating global online events. Race against their best performances and rise in the global rankings.

Basically we can expect a title that’s very similar to the original, and that’s not a bad thing in the slightest. Badland is still one of my favorite games that’s ever launched on Android, and I can’t wait to see what Badland 2 has to offer.

We’re not sure of a specific release date at this time, but we imagine it won’t be too far off. Are you excited to play Badland 2?

DOWNLOAD BADLAND FROM GOOGLE PLAY 

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How to set up a family plan on Google Play Music

Following the lead of several other music streaming services, Google too has introduced a family plan for Play Music. The family subscription can be purchased by anyone, as long as your Google account has Play Music All Access enabled.

The offer is pretty lucrative to the end consumer; become a Google Play Music All Access subscriber and pay $14.99/month to get access to unlimited music for yourself and up to 5 additional family members. Access to YouTube Red has been thrown in, which helps make the deal ever more attractive.

Play Music gives subscribers access to 30 million songs, at a 320 kbps bitrate that is on par with other services, and has a 50,000 song locker. There’s no free tier, but all human-curated playlists are accessible for free while being supported by ads.

The other music services that offer family plans include Apple Music, with its $15/month 6-person plan; Spotify; which adds $5/month for every extra person; and Rhapsody, which has a $15/month tier for a 5-person family. Out of all these streaming music services, Spotify and Rhapsody are available only in the US.

How the Google Play Music family plan works

The manager of the family plan is the only person with access to admin settings, with which the person can subscribe/cancel subscriptions, change the payment method, add/remove family members from the plan, etc. With the family music plan, up to 6 people in a subscriber’s family group can get access to unlimited streaming music.

At present, the family music plan is accessible only to a handful of countries – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States – and all your family members must also belong to the same country as the manager’s account. Note that family members continue to use their own, separate Google accounts and have their own music libraries, playlists, and offline content.

How to set up Google Play Music family plan

Alright, let’s get to setting up your Google Play Music account and upgrading to the family plan. The only pre-requisite is that your account should have Play Music All Access enabled. Open the application on your Android or iOS device, or visit Play Music on the web. Listed below are simple steps that you need to follow to subscribe to Play Music and activate the family plan.

How to subscribe using the Play Music Android or iOS app:

• Open the Play Music Android or iOS app.
• Tap on the hamburger menu icon on the top left.
• Tap on Settings.
• Select “Start Trial” or “Subscribe to Google Play Unlimited”.
• The “Family” button will show if you’re eligible for the Google Play Music family plan.

If you’ve previously used the free trial option, the app will only show you a “Subscribe” option.

How to subscribe using Play Music on the Web:

• Visit the Google Play Music account settings page.
• Under the “Account” section, you’ll see an option to “Start Trial” or “Subscribe”, depending on whether you’ve used the free trial option before or not.

Note that only subscribers in eligible countries get access to YouTube Red, which has a vast repository of music videos, without paying an additional cost. If you are already a subscriber of Google Play Music, here are the simple steps you need to follow to upgrade to the family plan, after which you can invite up to 5 additional family members.

How to upgrade to Play Music family plan and invite family members:

• Open the Play Music app.
• Tap on the hamburger menu icon on the top left.
• Tap on Settings.
• Select “Upgrade to family plan” and set up your family.
• Select the payment method for your family’s purchases, which can be either an existing card or a new one.
• Invite members of your family by tapping on the “Invite” button and following a few steps to confirm your action.

After you complete these steps, the family members that you added will get an email saying they are invited. Note that you’ll be adding a payment method with all the family members added by you to the account, so make sure that you only add people you trust, and who are over 13 years of age. These members can use the payment method to apps, games, movies, books, TV shows and magazine issues. Also, by default all in-app purchases made by family members will have to be approved by the family account manager.

This feature can be turned off, although it isn’t advisable for obvious reasons.

That’s all there is to setting up a Play Music family account. The process is pretty straightforward and most users should be able to complete it without any major hiccups. Just follow the steps shown on your screen, or follow the simple steps listed in this guide and you should have your Google Play Music Family plan set up in no time.

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VLC finally available for Chrome OS

When in doubt of whether you’ll be able to play some obscure media file or not, just download VLC. That has been our philosophy for a long time. VLC is famous for supporting the largest variety of media formats. I have personally never encountered a file which doesn’t work with this player, and now Chrome OS users can finally enjoy it.

This happens to be huge news, as Chrome OS was one of the last major operating systems without official VLC support. VLC is pretty much everywhere right now. There are versions for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and OS X, as well as more obscure operating systems like Solaris, Haiku, ReactOS and others.

Chrome OS was certainly late to the party, but that is due to very valid reasons. Adopting solutions like PPAPI, NaCL and Javascript would require rewriting all the code and would bring some issues to the database. Of course, this was before Google announced ARC (Android Runtime for Chrome), a feature that would allow Chromebooks to run Android apps.

This changed everything for VLC. They were able to keep 95% of the code they already had, and adapting the rest to work with the web-based operating system. The final result is an application that works just as well as all other VLC versions.

It supports the same video and audio formats, as well as subtitle files. You can even play streams. Other supported features include playlists, accelerated playback, an audio equalizer, audio/video synchronization and hardware-accelerated video/audio decoding.

The only trick here is that the team has only tested it with two Chrome OS devices: the Chromebook Pixel and the HP Chromebook 14, which are the only two machines the team had access to. Please do test it on your own devices, though, and try to report any bugs you find.

Ready for some mad media playback? Just click through the button below to download the app from the Chrome Web Store. And don’t forget to hit the comments and let us know how VLC for Chrome OS is treating you!

DOWNLOAD VLC FOR CHROME OS

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens up for pre-order on Google Play, soundtrack available

Well, technically it is, though many of us actually saw the movie yesterday. Anyhow, the point is that after months of commercials, tie-in products, and Google collaborations, the movie is now in theaters for all to see (well, in the US and select other markets at least).

With the movie barely out of the gate, Google is wasting no time in selling both the album and movie pre-orders for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Regardless of whether or not you plan to see it in theaters (or have already, like myself), this one is a must-buy for Star Wars fans.

Pricing for the movie is $19.99 for an HD copy or $14.99 for the SD version. Why pre-order something that is digital and can’t run out of stock? Really, it’s more of a way to make sure you get access the first second you possibly can, and you’ll get a reminder once it’s available for watching, etc. Necessary to pre-order? No, but it’s a great option for those who’d like to.

As for the soundtrack, it can be yours for $11.49, including 23 different tracks. You can also buy individual tracks for $1.29 if you don’t want them all for whatever reason.

For those that have seen it already, what do you think of Star Wars: the Force Awakens?(Please let’s keep it spoiler free though, out of respect for those who haven’t seen it)

GET THE ALBUM ON GOOGLE PLAY PRE-ORDER THE MOVIE ON GOOGLE PLAY

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