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Last week we reported that the CyanogenMod team had added almost a dozen new phones and tablets to their list of officially-supported devices, including Barnes & Noble's increasingly affordable Nook HD and Nook HD+. At the time the B&N tablet builds weren't quite ready, but nightly ROM builds just showed up for both the 7-inch and 9-inch versions. Go forth, ROM addicts, and flash to your heart's content.
Google just released textbooks to the Google Play Store yesterday, and oddly enough, there's a synergistic update to the Google Play Books client available now. This version unsurprisingly expands the notation capabilities, as well as adding some education-friendly capabilities like book rentals and contextual copying.
The Nexus 7 2013 is awesome in just about every way, building on the strengths of the original to become an easy choice for the best 7" Android tablet on the market at the moment. But there's at least one company that isn't altogether happy with it: NVIDIA. Their Tegra 3 chip powered the first Nexus 7, but Google switched to Qualcomm for the new version... a decision which hasn't come without problems of its own. In any case, new leaked photos show that NVIDIA may intend to strike out with a self-branded 7-inch tablet.
Ever since Jelly Bean, the reasons to switch to a custom ROM (as opposed to a stock, rooted build) have been slowly shrinking. But today ClockworkMod Recovery developer Koushik "Koush" Dutta gave us a reason to be incredibly excited for upcoming builds of CyanogenMod. With a little tweaking of the famous ROM family, he's managed to integrate Chromecast streaming across the system, making any video or audio app compatible.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a pair of retro-style Noodlecake games, a unique take on pinball, and a desperately-needed Google TV game. Without further ado:
Update: The discount on the 12-pack of tags has been reduced to 20%, bringing the total price up to $15.98. TagsForDroid spoke with us on the issue, saying that they had reserved a set number of packages at the reduced price, and ran out much faster than they anticipated. They apologized to those customers who couldn't get an order in quick enough to take advantage of the deal.
Android emulator fans, meet you new best friend. Yesterday the DraStic Nintendo DS emulator was published to the Play Store, for the admittedly high price of $7.99. It's not the first DS emulator for Android, but it's far and away the best - the combination of smooth performance (on sufficient hardware) and a stupefying amount of options to adapt the DS ergonomics makes it an easy recommendation.
Remember the "Zap" feature that Motorola and Verizon hyped up during their latest press conference? You could be forgiven if you don't - the local sharing app is a solution looking for a problem, and it's only for the new DROID phones. Like the previous Moto-exclusive apps, Droid Zap has popped into the Play Store long before the launch of the DROID Ultra, DROID MAXX, or DROID Mini.
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
If you're looking for a cheap, mod-worthy tablet with a great screen, look no further. Today eBay Daily Deals has the Nook HD+, with a 9-inch, 1920x1280 screen and built-in access to the Google Play Store for just $119.99. It's a refurbished model, but that's $30 and 20% cheaper than the already-low $150 retail price. The eBay listing has free standard shipping, plus you won't have to pay sales tax outside of New Jersey and New York.
LG had hardly introduced its new G2 flagship when they mentioned that it would come to the "big four" American carriers, meaning AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. They're bringing the fight to Samsung in this carrier-driven market. T-Mobile has confirmed the statement in the LG event: there's already a basic website dedicated to the new 5.2-inch Android handset, complete with the compulsory information signup. There's currently no date or price for the phone on any carrier.
HTC Announces Mid-Range Desire 500 For The UK: 4.3", 1.2Ghz Quad-Core, Removable Battery, And MicroSD
HTC Announces Mid-Range Desire 500 For UK Customers
HTC hasn't abandoned the market for small phones, as shown by their One Mini at a (relatively) tiny 4.3 inches. But that's still on the premium side, and those who want both a small size and a small price need some love too. Enter the Desire 500, a 4.3" phone with a mixture of features from this generation of HTC hardware and the last one. It's currently slated for release in the UK sometime in August, but HTC has been mum on a price and wider release details so far.
Sine Mora got its start on the Xbox Live Arcade last summer and has slowly but surely been spreading to every platform under the sun. The 2.5D space shooter might not be the "legendary cult classic" that its description alludes to, but it's certainly been well-received by shmup fans, and it's now available on Google Play after a brief spell on the Amazon Appstore. It's a bit on the pricy side at $5.99.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a mobilized, social-savvy real-time strategy game, yet another minimal puzzler, and an unapologetically old-school RPG. Without further ado:
Speak softly and carry a big user base. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but that might as well be the unofficial motto of WhatsApp. The cross-platform messaging service has been quietly spreading over the last couple of years, coming to every major mobile platform and gaining over 300 million active monthly users, according to AllThingsD. What's next for the quiet revolution? Voice communication.
The flick-gesture for quickly opening the camera app on the Moto X and new DROIDs has been repeatedly highlighted by Motorola. And like any buzz-worthy feature in an upcoming phone, it's been almost immediately duplicated. Twisty Launcher popped into the Play Store last night, promising to deliver a customized version of this gesture-based feature, with the added benefit of being compatible with any device or app.
There are more than a few music players available for Android, but you could search the Play Store for days without finding one quite so full-featured as Music Player (Remix). The developer seems to have thrown every possible bell and whistle into the local playback app, and topped it off with a swipe-based interface and some impressive extras. It's available in the Play Store for $4.99, with a 14-day trial app available as well.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got an old (and awesome) twin-stick shooter, a new (and only slightly less awesome) twin-stick shooter, a zen puzzle game, and a 3D survival horror title. Without further ado:
You've probably seen some of those stick-on phone pouches at your local department store. It's a very simple idea: a little nylon pocket with glue on one side, intended to stick to your smartphone and carry credit/ID cards. I've tried several in a never-ending quest to banish my wallet, but they were all cheap, with poor glue and easily-torn material. Then I chanced .99 on the Sinji Pouch.
The shiny new Nexus 7 may be the current king of the 7-inch jungle, but that doesn't mean you should pass up a good deal. The Kindle Fire HD - that's the upgraded 720p tablet, not the newer non-HD Fire - is off for all models at the moment. The Amazon storefront shows "For a Limited Time," so we have no idea how long this price will last.