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May

[APK Teardown] Google Play Services 3.1, Part 2 - All Your App Data In The Cloud, A New Cloud-Based Location Service, And More

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, News

Welcome back! Google Play Services 3.1 is such a ridiculously huge update; I had to stretch it out over two articles - that's a first for APK Teardown. If you somehow missed the Google Play Games extravaganza, part one is right here.

Part two is all about the non-games discoveries, which there are a lot of. Before we get into that though, there is one detail I left out of the games article that I really should mention:

The Play Games Codename

Google always comes up with the coolest code names for projects, and the Play Services games client is no exception.

May

Airbnb Revamps Android App In Version 2.0 – Adds Calendar Management, Host Pre-Approval, And A New UI

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Had enough of noisy hotels infested with bed bugs and slathered in unidentifiable fluids? Why not rent short term accommodations from a regular human being? That's the service Airbnb provides, and the startup has been making headway in recent years. In an attempt to make the process of finding appropriate lodging more convenient on mobile devices, the company has completely redesigned its Android app and added a few new features.

The new app is more attractive an Android-y than the old version, which made heavy use of gradients and iOS-style buttons. The new UI is flatter and has some Holo (#YOLO) design elements.

May

Carmageddon Review: Good Old-Fashioned Mindless Mayhem, But Not For The Faint Of Heart

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in Game Reviews, Games

I was seven years old when Carmageddon first hit store shelves in 1997. Even if the game hadn't been widely banned and censored around the world, I still wouldn't have gotten my hands on it. The off-the-wall violence and bloodshed would have been a bit too much for my parents to permit me to play with good conscience. While leagues of long-time fans poured money into the Kickstarter campaign that allowed Stainless Games to port the game to Android in the first place, I am visiting the game for the first time. Thank you, Kickstarters, for giving me the chance. To anyone considering giving Carmageddon a try - don't think, just buy.

May

Verizon Moves Up Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch To May 23rd

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Carriers, Galaxy S4, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Verizon certainly likes to take its sweet time getting new phones out there, but this time it's at least making an attempt to speed things along. Big Red has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available a week earlier than previously stated. May 23rd is now the big day.

The Galaxy S4 has already launched on the other big US carriers, and AT&T has even announced the availability of a 32GB version of the device. Verizon is late to the game, but it's probably going to push this 5-inch 1080p smartphone hard. Verizon's 16GB GS4 will be going for $199.99 with a new 2-year agreement (after a $50 mail-in rebate).

May

[International Giveaway] Win An International Unlocked 16GB Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-i9505) From Handy Apps And Android Police

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Contests / Giveaways, Galaxy S4

We've teamed up with Handy Apps several times in the past to give away some fantastic devices. Nexus 7s, Galaxy Note IIs, Xperia Zs, and many more have all found new homes thanks to our partnership with Handy Apps. But it's never just about giving stuff away – these guys make some fantastic and useful application. In fact, they may even be handy.

Today we want to take a moment to recap HA's catalog and highlight what each app does. There's a good chance you'll find something in the mix that you simply can't live without.

Tip N Split Calculator (free) – Need to split and bill and figure the tip quickly and easily?

May

Google Links Gmail, G+, And Drive Storage - Gmail Now Comes With 15GB Of Shared Storage By Default, Caps Removed

Posted by David Ruddock in News

Google has finally integrated storage between its three most data-intensive consumer platforms: Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+. The result? 5 extra GB of total Gmail storage, and 15GB of shared space among the three. This means you're no longer limited to 5GB of Google+ / Drive space, but all three services will now share the same "bucket."

For hardcore Gmail addicts, this comes with an added bonus: all Google Drive storage tiers now apply to your Gmail storage cap. That means a 100GB plan now means 100GB of potential Gmail storage, whereas Gmail had previously been capped at 25GB total storage with the old plans (some legacy plans may have had more than 25GB of Gmail storage).

May

All Developers Can Now Reply Directly To App Reviews In The Google Play Store

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Google, News

If you've spent as much time on the Google Play Store as I have, you begin to recognize a pattern: developers asking (and sometimes begging) users to email them directly with complaints or bugs, because they can't reply to that snarky review left in lieu of a bug report. After years and years of frustration for devs who just want to make their apps better, Google has finally rolled out a direct reply feature. Developers, you can now reply to user reviews using your developer console.

This has been a long time coming. A number of developers had been included in the testing program for the better part of a year, and rumors of a wide rollout have been circulating for a while.

May

Head Of Android Sundar Pichai Talks Google I/O, Android, And Chrome - Confirms Focus On Developer Tools, Not A Major Android Revision

Posted by Kyle Wiggers in Android OS, News

Newly appointed head of Google's Android division Sundar Pichai - who perhaps not-so-incidentally also leads the Chrome OS team - recently sat down with Wired for his first interview since Andy Rubin's departure. Though he didn't speak to specifics about any mysterious Motorola smartphone or Chromebook Pixel follow-up, Pichai did shed some light on the state of Android, Google's open-source philosophy, and future projects.

When asked if separate operating systems - Chrome OS and Android, for instance - confuse users, Pichai said the OS is less important than the apps, ecosystem, and backend people rely on. He also emphasized that developers, concerned about distributing their products on particular platforms, appreciate the flexibility multiple operating systems provide.

May

Some Qualcomm-Powered Galaxy S4 Handsets Are Producing Terrible Audio Clipping With Headphones

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S4, News

A 14-page XDA thread, thorough analysis by an audio engineer, and a 100+ comment Reddit thread have revealed that some of Samsung's Galaxy S4 handsets are experiencing serious sonic problems with certain headphones.

Headphone audio on smartphones is something we rarely think too much about, because, well, most people don't really care. As long a smartphone produces sound that is listenable and loud enough, your average Joe isn't particular concerned about the quality. But according to a growing number of individuals, some Galaxy S4 handsets powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 chipset are basically unusable with certain headphones.

The problem typically manifests itself as a particularly unpleasant "clipping," which most people would describe as crackling, buzzing, or popping.

May

Amazon Coins Virtual Currency Available Now, $5 Credit For Kindle Fire Owners Makes It Slightly Less Awful

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, News

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it was preparing a proprietary virtual currency specifically for its Appstore. Then the incorrigible Eric Ravenscraft spent a few thousand words explaining exactly why Amazon Coins, and any system that substitutes real money for meaningless points, is just a pretense for sucking money out of people's wallets. If you can't wait to pay Amazon's tax on those without common sense, you can now hand over your real dollars for fake ones to spend on apps and in-app purchases.

If you're a United States Amazon customer and you own any model of Kindle Fire, congratulations, you've just been credited with 500 Amazon Coins, or $5 in non-fake money.