Fully Charged: Samsung is making more Tizen phones, and OK Google getting offline options?

Samsung planning more Tizen phones

Tizen might have had a couple of false starts in the smartphone world, but Samsung is apparently ready to commit even more resources to the mobile OS – and try to ease its dependence on Android and Google. Reuters reports that Samsung intends to release several more Tizen phones at different price points later this year.

The budget-priced Samsung Z1 (pictured) hit India in January and has sold a million units so far, with research group Counterpoint saying it was the top-selling device in Bangladesh between January and March. That seems to have been a strong enough debut to encourage further expansion, although Samsung will need developers onboard to make Tizen a more appealing OS to better-established smartphone markets.

[Source: Reuters]

Will OK Google work offline?

Android Police has been fishing around the updated Google app on Android, and it appears that some offline functionality for the "OK Google" voice command is just around the corner. Currently, if you don’t have a data connection, the service is useless – but it looks like Google wants to give you a few basic abilities for those situations.

In the current version, the code references the offline ability to dial a call, send out an SMS, play music, and activate Wi-Fi, although Android Police speculates that more will be added beyond that starter set. So far, the functionality isn’t active, so it won’t work right this moment. However, now that it’s in the code, it may not be long before Google flips the switch.

[Source: Android Police via TechRadar]

Minecraft: Story Mode reveal incoming

MineCon takes place this weekend at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Conference Centre, and it’ll be the largest official Minecraft celebration to date following last year’s cancelled event. And there’s news coming: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead) teased new details for Minecraft: Story Mode, its episodic adventure game adaptation of the beloved building sensation, tweeting, "Let us tell you a story…" and attaching the convention logo.

In somewhat related news, original Minecraft developer Mojang has announced the end of active development for Scrolls, its online collectible card game that just released in December. Mojang will keep servers up until at least 1 July 2016 and sell the game in the meantime, but has opted not to continue adding content or plan for a deeper future. That’ll leave the company with just Minecraft again, then, but with a HoloLens version on the horizon, it’s not like they’ll be sitting on their hands.

[Sources: Twitter, Scrolls]

AC/DC’s music will stream

Longtime streaming music holdout AC/DC will join the fray as soon as today, allowing its albums to be available on Spotify, Apple Music, Rdio, and potentially other top services. The New York Times reported the news overnight, saying the hard rock band – which previously said it only wanted its album consumed in full – was about to join the streaming revolution. When Apple Music goes live late this afternoon, you might be able to rock along with Back in Black and other classics. (Or just load up Spotify and perhaps do the same.)

[Source: The New York Times]