About Ryan Whitwam
Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.
Latest Articles
For an app people use so heavily, the official Instagram app for Android has been a bit of a UI disaster since it launched back in 2012. It's about to be much better today with the release of version 5.1. The design is cleaner and flatter with a bit of an Android vibe. It's not super-holo, but it's a start.
You don't necessarily have to choose between cost and quality â sales happen. Don't worry about scouring the Play Store to spot the good deals. We can do that for you.
We've got more choices than ever when it comes to launchers, including Google's own search-infused option. The top third-party launchers have been mostly the same for the last year or two, but Inspire Launcher is a head-turning new option. It's based on the stock Android 4.4 launcher, but it has a GNL vibe with bright colors and some neat features.
[New App] Pixl Preview Allows Real-Time Previews Of Photoshop Designs And Pushes Images Directly To Photoshop
Adobe has crammed more features into Photoshop on the desktop than most people will ever use, but you can make use of at least one of the features you're (probably) overlooking with Pixl Preview. This app plugs into Photoshop's remote connection system to act as a second-screen preview of your designs.
Industrial design is becoming increasingly important as the specs of high-end phones start to level out. Sometimes a company can get a little too excited about its design prowess, and that's when things get leaky. That may be the case with ZTE's unannounced Grand S EXT, which has shown up on the Red-Dot 21 design directory.
HTC's upcoming flagship is leaking left and right in all sorts of ways. We've seen press images from numerous carriers, and there was that long video "review" as well. Now we've got something you can enjoy on your own device. The wallpapers and sounds from the M8 have appeared online, and you can grab them now.
[New App] Fox Releases The Official Cosmos Companion App, Reminds Us It Has A Streaming Video App For Full Episodes
It has been more than 30 years since the late, great Carl Sagan took to the airwaves to talk about how our future as a species depends powerfully on our understanding of the cosmos, which we float in like a mote of dust. The original Cosmos debuted in 1980 and inspired a generation of scientists and science nerds alike. Now the series is back with Neil deGrasse Tyson at the helm, and Fox has released a new companion app for Android that can help you explore the majesty and unbelievable scale of the cosmos while watching the show.
When you're copying text, it's usually so you can do something with it. Mime-O might be able to save you a few taps with it's clipboard popup. Each time you copy some text, Mime-O offers to drop it into a message, look up a definition, or send it right to your computer clipboard. This app came out a few weeks ago, but it's new to us.
Nearly every Android device available has NFC these days, but how often do you have a tag around to take advantage of it? Maybe this realization is what drove last year's NFC Ring Kickstarter campaign into multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars. Well, the rings have been making their way out to backers and pre-orders are going live for everyone on March 11th. Let's take a look at how this unusual accessory works.
MyScript Calculator is essentially the magical oracle of mathematics many of us always wished we had in school. If you're still in school, well, you're probably using the hell out of this app. Either way, good news – MyScript Calculator just got an update with a ton of new stuff.
Friday App And Game Sales: Atomus HD (Free), Deus Ex: The Fall, Final Fantasy V, And More
It has been a long, hard week and you deserve some relaxation time. Well, I'm assuming you do. If you've been slacking off all week, please disregard. Go pay full price for your apps. Everyone else, read on.
How To Use Samsung's New Milk Music Streaming Service On A Non-Samsung Device (Root-Only)
Despite the silly name, Samsung's Milk Music service seems like a handy thing to have. It offers unlimited ad-free streaming of hundreds of music stations with the ability to create and refine your own stations. However, it's only for Samsung phones. If you have root access, there's a way around that and it's not even very hard.
[Creamy] Samsung Announces Milk Music, A Free Streaming Music Service Exclusively For Samsung Phones (US Only)
If you purchase a Samsung phone in the near future, you're going to have yet another option for listening to music. However, unlike most of the other streaming services, the newly announced Milk Music is free and has no ads. The Milk Music app is live in Google Play and it's compatible with the Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, Note 2, Note 3,, S4 Active, S4 Mini, and Mega at this time. It should also be compatible with the Galaxy S5.
Customers of T-Mobile in the Netherlands should be able to start charging Google Play purchases to their phone bills, in addition to more traditional payment methods. Google has updated its support pages to reflect the change.
Nvidia wanted to wow us when it unveiled the Shield over a year ago at CES 2013, so naturally it pre-announced a bunch of games for the device. One of the titles mentioned at that event has only now arrived on Android. Rochard is a sci-fi platformer that was originally developed for the PlayStation Network and Steam, but now it's in the Play Store for $6.99.
Has it really been two years already? You're getting to be such a grown up app marketplace, Google Play. Google is offering some modest sales to celebrate two years of Google Play (also two years since the Android Market was smothered in its sleep). You'll find an assortment of apps, music, books, and movies, but don't expect amazing deals.
LG has a new commercial for the G Flex online, and it is exceptionally bizarre – and not in a good way. In the ad, a man receives a new G Flex, but upon opening the box his hand is transformed into a horrifying living phone with a mouth and an ear. He doesn't seem appropriately concerned about this.
Say what you will about the official Twitter client, at least they're trying. The UI is still a little odd, but the beta is showing signs of improvement. For example, a recent update added support for immersive mode on KitKat devices.
The folks at game developer Mediocre have given us such classics as Sprinkle and Granny Smith, but now it's time to break some stuff. Smash Hit has come to Android with neat physics and compelling gameplay. It's a good opportunity to get some of that aggression out too.
Koush Updates Mirror With 'Super Beta' Support For Chromecast Screen Mirroring, Currently For Rooted Nexus 5 Only
Ever since the Chromecast came out, we've been wondering when an official screen mirroring feature would show up. Rather than wait, Koush is already working on that with the Mirror beta app. The functionality is limited right now, and of course, is still only accessible to those in the beta program. You might want to check it out, because Koush has pushed a new version with preliminary support for Chromecast mirroring.