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Well, it's that time of year again, folks: Google has just announced the official registration date for the 2013 I/O conference, and it looks like you better be on the ready bright an early at 7AM PT on Wednesday, March 13th. Like last year, the tickets will go for $900 for general attendees and $300 for academic. Of course, a Google Wallet account is required to pay, and a Google+ account is also requisite.
I know, I know. Getting locked into a two-year contract for a Nexus 4 is something that not everyone wants to do, and I don't blame them. But, for those who don't mind two years on T-Mobile, you can get a free Nexus 4 if you order it before Sunday, February 24th. That's a pretty solid deal, because this is one of the best Android phones money can buy. But if you get it for free, money isn't buying it. So it's one of the best Android phones you can get for free. Actually, it's probably the best Android phone you can get for free.
Box For Android Updated, Brings Several Bug Fixes And New Features
If you've opted to use Box as your go-to cloud storage service, then you've likely had to deal with some odd quirks with the app as of late.
If you've opted to use Box as your go-to cloud storage service, then you've likely had to deal with some odd quirks with the app as of late. Like the fact that Box links opened m.box.com instead of the native app (this really peeves me with any app). Or navigating through multiple options to perform simple tasks. Well, good news: the app was just updated with some fixes to the most annoying issues, as well as a few new features, too.
The app frontend for everyone's favorite video streaming service just got itself a nice little update to v4.3.9, which brings a couple of new features. Namely, when you send a video to your paired TV, the app will allow you to control the playback with a nice little entry into the notification bar. So you can watch YouTube on your TV while doing other things on your phone – like checking Google+, for example.
CloudOn, the service which previously brought the full Microsoft Office experience to Android tablets, is now available on some phones. Yes, that means you have Office on your phone, in your pocket, and everywhere you are. That could be quite useful.
We had the promise of a WipEout-style game in the past, but that never seemed to materialize. As sad at that makes us all, we now have something that looks equally as good: Flashout 3D. At first blush, Flashout actually reminds me quite a bit of Riptide GP, as well as F-Zero, with the addition of weapons. Because blowing stuff up is fun.
If you own Sprint's seemingly long-forgotten HTC EVO Design 4G, the company has some fixes coming your way via a new OTA update that started rolling out today. While the Design 4G hasn't seen any update action in well over six months, it's nice to see The Now Network's continuing support for the somewhat aging handset.
News aggregators. We all use (or have used) them, and there is no shortage of selections in the Play Store. Some are designed to be pretty. Some are fully customizable. Some do the customization for you. Then there's newscover, an app that essentially wants to do all of the above.
One of the most common questions newcomers to Android have is do I really need an antivirus? While there are varying answers to this question depending on who you ask, it's hard to deny the demand for such apps. Of course, most AVs have other, far more useful features than just the AV scan – like anti-theft, device location features, and more. For that reason alone, I always have one installed on all my devices.
Here at AP, we rely on HipChat for our internal chatroom(s). Given that, this news is probably more exciting for us than anyone else, but we're sharing it anyway. The HipChat team just released a new beta version of its app to the Play Store, and to put it simply, it's amazing. Compared to the current "stable" build, which ironically isn't very stable at all, the new beta has already proven itself to be the superior choice. So, really, the beta is more stable than the stable build which is more like a beta. How's that for confusing?
Question: what do you do when you're a motorcycle company doing something completely different by releasing all-electric bikes with built-in Bluetooth? If you guessed publish an Android app that lets you control the motorcycle, view its stats, and a lot more, then you're probably part of the Zero Motorcycles team. Because that's exactly what they did.
ZTE And NVIDIA Team Up To Bring The First Tegra 4 'Superphone' To Market By The End Of Q2 2013
ZTE And NVIDIA Team Up To Bring The First Tegra 4 'Superphone' To Market
While NVIDIA may have just announced the Tegra 4 at CES back in January, that isn't stopping ZTE from promising to deliver the first "superphone" to use the powerhouse chip by the end of Q2 2013. Although the company is being scant on exact device specifications, we do know that it will not only use the T4 chip, but also NVIDIA's new i500 LTE modem.
Today is national app update day. Not officially, but it sure feels like it. We've already seen updates to high-profile apps like Google Drive and Any.DO, but Beautiful Widgets may have set the bar for excellent updates on February 20th, 2013. The day's not over yet, but this one's a doozie.
Any.DO – one of the best looking task managers on Android – just got an update that makes the app even more useful. For starters, it now has DashClock support; if you're not already using DashClock Widget, then you're missing out on the single best widget of all time. Really, it's pretty amazing. But that's a different story.
In the constant effort to make the Drive app better, Google just pushed an update that brings "performance improvements across the whole app," as well as support for video streaming on Honeycomb or higher, pinch to zoom in the presentation viewer, and overall bug fixes.
Republic Wireless just announced a new offer for those who have been considering the switch, but aren't willing to spend $250 for a Motorola Defy XT. Beginning today, the company has two options: buy the Defy XT for the existing price and pay $19 a month for service, or pay $99 for the phone and $29 monthly for the plan. Unlike traditional carriers that subsidize the prices of phones and lock you into a contract, however, there is no contract with Republic. Basically, it's going out on a limb and putting its good faith in you with this deal – and that's really saying something.
If you watch a lot of CNN and love your Android phone, you can now combine the two. But Cam, how can we do that? you may be asking. By updating to the latest version of the official CNN app, of course – it lets you watch CNN live on your smartphone! Neat. I wish every network ever would do this. Or at least AMC, because I can't miss The Walking Dead.
The day is finally here, SwiftKey users – the all new SK 4 is live in the Play Store! No longer a beta, this version includes SwiftKey's take on gesture typing, Flow. Flow is unique in that, unlike other gesture-based keyboards, it allows you to continuously swipe through entire sentences without ever lifting your finger - the company calls it Flow Through Space. If you've been using any of the beta versions, then you already know what a fantastic feature it is, and now it's finally mature. Not only that, but Flow is part of SwiftKey 4, which is a free upgrade to existing SwiftKey users.
Don't you just love these trickle updates? Little update here, little update there – but never anything major. It's all the excitement of getting an OTA, with none of the benefit! And that's what today's T-Mobile One S update is all about: security enhancements. That's it. Nothing more.
If there's one common issue with smartphones across the board, it's battery life. Rightfully so, we all want more of it without having to sacrifice usage. Thankfully, Qualcomm is looking to help owners of Snapdragon-powered smartphones get just a bit more out of their device's battery with the new Snapdragon BatteryGuru beta.