HTC rumoured to release a cheaper, plastic version of One M8

We all know HTC used to poke fun at the plastic flagship devices of its competitors. But it looks like they want to get in on the game but would try to release a more affordable version. @evleaks over a Twitter teased an upcoming “M8 Ace” device coming out that would have a plastic unibody instead of the company’s trademark aluminum construction. The M8 Ace will reportedly have almost the same specs as the Samsung Galaxy S5—a 5-inch 1080p screen and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz processor—but with a lower price tag. We’ll just have to take this rumour with a grain of salt at the moment but imagine the possibilities.

Source: Engadget

Yahoo and Live Nation to livestream concerts every day for a year

Yahoo and concert ticketing business Live Nation want you to turn to the site for streaming live concerts. The two companies finalized their partnership on Thursday to have Yahoo stream a live concert every day for one year. Yahoo also intends to keep around 1,200 of the live song recordings so users can stream these clips “months and months” after the show airs.

They did not announce what acts we’d expect to catch but Yahoo marketing chief Kathy Saviit said it will compose the “world’s hottest bands and musicians.” We should be hearing more details about this new partnership soon.

Source: The Verge

Facebook introduces video and faster selfie uploads to Messenger

Facebook is ready to take on Snapchat with the new features the company is introducing to its Messenger app. The messaging app now lets you share videos and improves upload speeds for photos. Video uploading wasn’t previously available for Messenger but now you can both send and watch clips in-line. You can’t record videos in the app though. But you can upload selfies and other photos quicker. Facebook Messenger now even lets you download stickers the person you’re chatting with uses with a long press on the sticker until the download starts. The update is rolling out for iOS today and will come to Android within the week.

Source: TechCrunch

Google integrates restaurant and hotel search to Search on Android

Google is looking to help you look for restaurants or book hotels in the US through your Android smartphone. You just need ask Google to “show restaurants in…” and it will pull up search results for you. You can even customize it to the type of cuisine you want or the price range you want it to be in. The search looks like it prioritizes well-rated restaurants. Google said this is meant to make it easier for you to make last-minute reservations.

When it comes to hotel searches, Google also just needs you to type or speak inquiries such as “show me hotels in…” It collects data from various sites and even lets you customize your query to fit your needs.  While it is just currently available in the US, we’re hoping Google brings this to Canada soon.

Source: Google’s Google+ page