Bertel King, Jr.
Contributing since April, 2013
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3518articles
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About Bertel King, Jr.
Bertel is a Linux user who likes budget smartphones more than flagships, uses a custom ROM, and gets his apps from F-Droid. When he isn't writing short stories for Android Police, you might find him penning the fictional kind. Otherwise, look for him reading pixels that were converted to ink and paper.
Latest Articles
T-Mobile Announces Launch Dates For Its Nexus 5 And Nexus 7, Is Now Accepting Pre-Orders For The Latter
T-Mobile Announces Launch Dates For Its Nexus 5 And Nexus 7, Is Now Accepting Pre-Orders For The Latter
Activating a Nexus 5 on T-Mobile is far from a difficult process, but if you missed out on the first wave of Nexus 5s on Google Play, T-Mobile will soon be ready to sell one to you themselves. The company is launching the latest Nexus handset on November 14th online, and they will introduce it in-stores a week later.
Remember the BlueStacks App Player? It's been around for a pretty long time now. How long? Until just recently, the software that allowed users to run Android inside of Windows was powered by Gingerbread. Now the emulation software is making the leap to Ice Cream Sandwich, and while it's still two years behind the times, at least it looks somewhat modern. Well, until more devices make the transition to KitKat, that is.
Have a KitKat device? If so, you've made the leap to the latest version of Android faster than most other people. That's the fun part. You've also jumped to Android 4.4 before most apps. That's the not so fun part. While older apps are generally stable and compatible, sometimes an update is in order to iron out the kinks. Thus a new version of Light Flow is now available that makes the app more compatible with Android 4.4 and the Nexus 5.
There's an intense burrito-folding, salsa-serving war being waged out there between Chipotle, Moe's, Qdoba, and other purveyors of delicious tacos. Passions burn hotter than fresh chilies, and I'm not bold enough to throw my weight behind any of the involved establishments. But I will stick my neck out just enough to share that Chipotle's Mobile Ordering app is now open to all locations, and it's awesome.
The Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S4 has been making the rounds lately, already popping up for Verizon and Sprint. Now it's set to make another appearance, not on AT&T or T-Mobile, but on US Cellular. The carrier that wasn't large enough to appear on Samsung's leaked accelerated Android 4.3 update plan now has a changelog up detailing what users can expect from software version R970VXUAMJA.
The Nexus 5 is a ground-breaking device. For Android fans, this is the first high-end handset that customers can buy unsubsidized and activate on all but one of the major American carriers. This isn't a big deal with AT&T and T-Mobile, as Nexus 4 buyers could already use their networks last year, but the addition of Sprint is reason to take notice. If they can do it, it stands to reason that so could Verizon. Unfortunately, we don't live in a carrier agnostic utopia just yet. The Sprint Nexus 5 is now available on Amazon, and while it's cheaper to upgrade an existing line here than on the carrier's website, the phone costs a ridiculous $499.99 without a service plan.
An updated version of Google Keyboard has made its way into the Play Store, taking most of the previously Nexus 5-exclusive features and expanding them out to other devices. We've covered the improvements in-depth before (and provided an APK), but in short, the swiping trail is now white, emoji are built-in, and users can swipe multiple words without having to lift up their finger. Unfortunately, some features still require KitKat, such as full-color emoji. Anyone running a prior version of Android will see an incomplete, black and white set instead.
The SwiftKey team just rolled out a massive update to their popular Android keyboard, introducing various layouts suitable for a wide range of screen sizes. Now they're moving on to tackle other long-awaited, user-requested features. Two responses on the app's idea suggestion page show that the developers are currently working on adding support for emojis and the ability to enable a dedicated number row.
Bulkypix's last game was a first-person shooter featuring zombies running amok on a spaceship. It wasn't the most original premise out there, but at least it was somewhat of a visual treat. Yet if that offering was just too mindless for your tastes, the team is at it again with Meltdown, a top-down shooter with a tad more creativity, much more charm, and even a semblance of depth.
The latest Google Glass update is on its way, and thanks to its new features, so are you. With version XE11, Glass wearers can now tell their most expensive pair of glasses where they live and work. After that, commuting becomes as simple as saying "Ok glass, get directions to work." In addition to that, Glass now functions even more like a personal secretary. Saying "Ok glass, google my agenda" pulls up a list of upcoming calendar appointments. This is precisely the kind of Googley time-saving convenience Android users have come to expect.
There are many reasons to prefer shopping at one store over another, but anyone who prefers for their handsets to come in blue would be advised to turn their eyes towards Best Buy. The big box retailer is now offering the Galaxy S4 in glossy, plastic blue - or as they would call it, Blue Arctic. The handset will become available next Thursday, November 14th, but pre-orders are launching tomorrow for Elite and Elite Plus members, and November 10th for everyone else.
Samsung is already running circles around all of the other manufacturers shipping Android devices, and while we can come up with many reasons to pick up one the company's products, Sammy's steadily dishing out more. If you register your brand new Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Note tablet, Samsung will give you over 0 in perks. This is a $200 increase over their previous offer, and they've added additional products including Audible, SiriusXM, and Zinio. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 launched with most of these perks, but now they've been distributed across Samsung's broader range of tablets.
Text-to-speech engines read text aloud, saving users from having to read it themselves. Google's TTS offering comes pre-installed on numerous Android devices, and like much of the software previously shipped as part of Android, it's now ready to spread its wings in the Play Store. Here it's available to far more users, as it can now be installed on devices that don't come with the software pre-installed (pictured below -left). In contrast, on the Nexus 5, Google TTS is apparently already installed and unremovable (pictured below - right).
It's not often that I get to fit the entire changelog of a software update in the headline, but today's the day. Verizon has shared details about an upcoming update for the Galaxy Note 3 that does two things - strengthens connectivity and improves sound quality. Though Verizon hasn't provided a proper software version number, the build hitting devices is apparently VRUBMJ7.
Don't let anyone ever tell you that your opinion isn't worth anything. In fact, your thoughts are so valuable that Google is willing to pay you for them. Well, there are two caveats - you must live in the US, and you have to be fine with being paid in Google Play credit. But hey, when it comes to Android, that stuff is as good as cash.
Swype may have just gained new split and mini keyboard options, but the SwiftKey folks have been sitting on something even more visionary for quite a while now. Their "Layouts for Living" program adds many layout options - split keyboards, movable pop-up keyboards, etc. - to what is already one of the most popular Android keyboards out there.
Swype Updated To Version 1.6.2.22328, Gains Split And Mini Keyboard Options For Large Phones, Better Language Support, New Theme, And More
Swype Updated To Version 1.6.2.22328, Gains Split And Mini Keyboard Options For Large Phones, Better Language Support, New Theme, And More
It's often the case that one piece of software will introduce a groundbreaking feature, but others will expand on it, eventually replacing the original. When it comes to Android, Swype and SwiftKey come to mind. But the latter has yet to vanquish the former, nor has the addition of gesture-based typing to the stock keyboard, and Swype has now been updated with a host of new features that show just how much of a heavyweight this contender remains.
The PushBullet team has been cranking out new features for their file-synching app as of late, making it that much easier to get files from an Android device onto a PC (and back again) without having to deal with any bothersome cables or heavy cloud services. Now the team has crossed yet another milestone - they've made PushBullet more of a social experience. In the past, users could pair directly with their friends' individual devices. Now, friends are organized as contacts, and all you need is an email address to push files to anyone you wish.
When the latest version of Android starts rolling out, it's well-known that the vast majority of devices out there will never get updated. It's not the best situation, but it's one that at this point in time, many of us go into knowingly. So you LG Intuition owners out there, you already know you're not going to see KitKat come to your device, but at least you will finally now be able to leave Ice Cream Sandwich behind. The latest OTA update will bump your handset up to Jelly Bean - the first one, as in Android 4.1.
Update: DROID Mini owners are also eligible for the 50GB Google Drive promotion. The smaller device is receiving an OTA update that largely resembles that of the other two Verizon-exclusive Motorola handsets.