Latest Articles
When it comes to "small" phones sporting 4.3-inch displays, the options are really slim these days. The top options each come with custom UIs, and consumers don't have the luxury of picking up a Google Play Edition of any of them. People who want a zippy stock Android experience on a smaller device that's still relatively powerful are therefore placed in a position to take matters into their own hands. For HTC One Mini (M4) owners, CyanogenMod is now here to help. The project has officially rolled out support for the device, with an experimental build produced on-demand available now and a nightly expected to show up later tonight.
Google does its part to celebrate the major US holidays, not to mention quite a few others, but April Fools' Day appears to be its favorite. The company goes all out every year, and it's already looking like 2014 may just be its very best effort yet. In addition to scattering Pokemon all over Maps, Google is now dispersing emoji all throughout Chrome.
Texting and driving is a big no-no. We get that. People still do it, but it isn't from the misguided belief that they aren't being risky or, in some places, breaking the law. Yet what about texting and walking? It may not result in unintentional manslaughter (okay, it's much less likely to result in accidental death), but that doesn't mean it's harmless.
Sprint LG G2 owners may not have too much longer to wait for Android 4.4.2 to arrive. Sprint has posted details on an upcoming OTA update, which should roll out in stages starting today. The version is ZVB, and it contains little aside from all the delicious goodies that come with KitKat. To clarify, the developers have also packed in a fix for an audio issue with the pre-installed NextRadio app. Yeah, all eyes are on Android 4.4.2 here.
WebDrive, as its name would suggest, allows users to access files stored remotely as though they were available locally. The concept is far from unusual these days, with cloud storage progressively replacing local storage as the default way people save files. Still, this piece of software has built a name for itself on Windows and Mac. Now, after first shipping for iOS, an Android version has hit the Play Store.
Cut the Rope isn't Angry Birds, but in term's of popularity, it's come pretty close. The original game centered around getting a piece of candy into the mouth of the most adorable green, one-eyed something we've ever seen. The core gameplay in the latest sequel is, unsurprisingly, largely the same. Players will still spend their time feeding the appropriately named Om Nom by cutting the many ropes that some unspeakably evil being (game designer) has used to keep the poor creature hungry.
Google wants manufacturers to use Android in their products, and the company has no problem with them theming the software up all they want, as long as they adhere to a few ground rules. Going forward, explicitly mentioning that their devices are powered by Android will be one of them. How? By explicitly placing the words "powered by Android" at the bottom of bootup screens.
Text expansion saves time. It's really that simple. Rather than typing out a lengthy word over and over, like a regularly visited URL or an embarrassingly long middle name, save it as a text expansion so that pressing a few pre-determined characters will insert that word instead. Google's keyboard comes with this functionality available out of the box, as do some alternative third-party keyboards, but this requires commitment to one of these options.
The latest Captain America movie is polishing its shield, because its release is inbound. But before that can happen, movie goers first need a chance to experience the action firsthand in yet another Gameloft title. Most of these releases aren't anything to get excited about, but the cel-shaded graphics in this one have piqued our interest. Check them out.
Update: Judging from comments, it looks like these songs aren't available in many countries. They're downloadable for us, but your mileage may vary.
The Pebble can handle plenty of functions thanks to a wide range of third-party apps, but interacting with messages typically remains a passive experience. Naturally, someone had to address this. Reqallable, an app that provides smartwatch wearers with the ability to respond to email and text messages without pulling out their phones, has added the Pebble to its list of supported devices.
The HTC One M8 became official two days ago, and HTC's been having more than its share of headlines among mobile tech sites ever since. Want a break? Tough. Here's KitKat for the Sprint HTC One Max. OTA software updates are currently rolling out to users, bumping them up to software version 2.09.651.1.
HeroCraft has released another game into the Play Store, and while you've never heard its name before, you already know how to play. Neon Commander is what you get when you install Space Invaders, but instead of firing back with a space ship of your own, you bounce enemy projectiles back towards them a la Breakout. With my skills, that means the world is doomed, but at least the game concept isn't.
Back in the day, people used to go on runs with nothing but a loose pair of shorts and whichever shoes were comfy. Now such an idea feels downright preposterous without earbuds, music, podcasts, a fitness band, or an activity tracking app. Runtastic's offering is one of the first that comes to mind, and today it's getting bumped up to version 5.0. Runners, here's the promotional video.
Sony may not have the best track record when it comes to making its phones available across a wide number of carriers in the US, but it has no problem sharing its open source kernel files on a timely basis. The company officially announced the Xperia Z2 a month ago at Mobile World Congress, and now much of the handset's internal code is available for download on the web.
DotEmu's latest Android port comes to us fresh from the 1990s and goes by the name of Little Big Adventure. It's an action-adventure game set in a previously common isometric perspective, and while those faux-3D visuals have lost some of their luster over the years, the nostalgia hasn't. Whether you've played this game on a PC or PlayStation before, this Android port is ready to suck you in.
A few days ago we caught wind of the existence of Google Play gift cards in Austria. It was good news, though it came as a surprise as Austria's name was nowhere to be found on the list of countries Google sells gift cards in. Now it is, though oddly still listed as 'coming soon.' Nevertheless, Austria isn't the only country to make an appearance. Now we see that Italy, Mexico, and Switzerland have joined the list as well (with Spain also still listed as being on its way).
Cerberus Anti-Theft is the type of app that users install for peace of mind. The service offers the ability to track a device's location, record audio through its microphone, lock it, or wipe it remotely in the chance that it falls into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, this line of defense could be a person's worse nightmare if their account were compromised. That's why it was no small deal when Cerberus recently sent out this email to some of its users, alerting them that a number of usernames and passwords were stolen in a recent data breach.
MarkAsRead For Gmail Updated With The Ability To Mark Email As Read And Archive At The Same Time
MarkAsRead for Gmail has been updated.
The Gmail app doesn't provide the option to mark notifications as read, and it drives many users up the wall. MarkAsRead entered the Play Store less than a week ago and, as the name suggests, tackled this issue head on. Now an update is available that adds the ability to mark a message as read and archive it at the same time, just as the developer promised.
The original Galaxy Gear wasn't for everyone (particularly people who don't own a Samsung phone). It also suffered from limited app compatibility and a quirky interface. Its biggest drawback, though, was the price: $299. That's a lot to ask for a smartwatch that only does a handful of things. But what about $99? That's how much Best Buy is currently selling refurbished models of the device for as part of today's deal of the day.