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May

EasyAcc 12000mAh 4-Port External Battery Pack Is Just $40 On Amazon, With Refreshed Hardware After Customer Feedback

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Accessories

We're featuring this external battery charger for three reasons. One: it's a pretty neat piece of kit in its own right, with a huge 12000mAh capacity (4-8 charges for most recent Android phones) and four USB charging ports, three of which can be active simultaneously. Two: the manufacturer made some small but pertinent additions to the hardware design after receiving feedback from a knowledgeable customer. Three: at $40, it would be a pretty good deal even for a basic 1-port charger of this capacity. With the extra features, it's a downright bargain.

The EasyAcc charger's biggest differentiator is its four standard USB charging ports ,which are set to amperage outputs between .5A and 2.1A.

May

Deal Alert: Jawbone's BIG Jambox Available On Amazon For $249.99 (That's $50.00 Off)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Accessories, Deals

We first heard about the Jambox's larger sibling, the BIG Jambox, just over a year ago. At the time, it promised to be bigger (of course) and better than the original, offering a bigger battery, a wall power adapter, and "unbelievable sound". If reviews are to be believed, the Jambox managed to deliver good sound and power, while maintaining the unique design language of its smaller counterpart.

If you're in the market for a Bluetooth speaker, the BIG Jambox is a decent choice, and Amazon's sweetened the prospect by putting the device on sale for $249.99, down $50 from its usual $299.99 price.

May

[Deal Alert] Jump Desktop For Android Is Free On Amazon Today

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in Applications, Deals, News

Today's Amazon Appstore deal is quite the bargain, and its value speaks for itself. Jump Desktop isn't the only remote desktop client out there, but it has no shortage of features. The app supports both RDP and VNC protocols, so if you have either already configured on your PC, you're good to go. Jump Desktop does not require that you install additional software on your machine. Awesome? Awesome.

The app allows you to control your computer as though it were a tablet, with pinch-zoom and two finger scrolling both supported. If you plug in an external keyboard and/or mouse into your Android device, you should find that all the usual keyboard shortcuts and mouse clicks work as expected.

Apr

Amazon's Kindle App Hits Version 4.0 With Reworked Interface

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, Apps/Games, News

Amazon's Kindle app has just received a significant update, bringing the reader up to version 4 and introducing a refreshed UI, among other things.

Just when I'd decided to try switching to Play Books (despite giving up things like quick two-finger brightness adjustment), Amazon has introduced a redesigned library that's much more lively than a simple grid of book covers. The new library interface has your books plus a nice "carousel" up top for recent items. The navigation panel has also been expanded for quick access to documents and Newsstand items, along with items that used to hide under the overflow button.

Apr

Amazon Appstore Prepares For A Global Push: Availability Coming To 195 Countries Including In-App Purchases [Update: Full List]

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

At the moment, the Amazon Appstore is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Japan. But that's hardly enough for Amazon's global ambitions. In a press release, the company announced plans to widen the Appstore to "nearly 200 countries" across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. A specific timeframe was also absent, but prospective developers can manage their international distribution on the Mobile App Distribution Portal.

Important markets like India, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and South Korea were highlighted. With 195 countries in its marketplace, Amazon should be handily beating Google Play (currently sitting at 134 countries which can buy apps on the Play Store) even if it takes them the rest of the year to fully realize their goal.

Apr

Animoca: Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 Line And The Kindle Fire Family Are Still The Most Popular Android Tablets Worldwide

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Android OS, News, Tablets

A little less than a year ago, we saw a report that showed the Galaxy Tab was the most popular Android tablet, followed closely by the Kindle Fire. A lot has happened since then. The Nexus 7 has rolled out and set the new bar for what a small, cheap Android tablet should be. So, what's changed worldwide? Well, according to Animoca, not much.

According to the firm—which distributes games and entertainment apps—the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the top Android tablet with 11.8% of its network, followed closely by the 10.1 model of the same line. Following that is the Kindle Fire and the Kindle Fire HD which collectively make up another 12.4% of Animoca's users.

Apr

[New Games] Scribblenauts Remix And Batman: Arkham City Lockdown Hit The Amazon Appstore Now, Google Play This Spring

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

Kindle Fire owners and Amazon Appstore users, you've got two heavyweights added to your gaming catalog. Warner Bros Games has published Scribblenauts Remix and Batman: Arkham City Lockdown to the Appstore, both previously available only on iOS. Of the two, Scribblenauts is probably worth more attention, as the series has garnered critical acclaim on portable consoles, PC, and mobile.

Scribblenauts got its start on the Nintendo DS, where its mix of creative gameplay and quirky puzzles were a good match for the touchscreen-based controls. The object of the side-scroller is to modify the environment by adding objects. The player's capability to create new items based on common nouns is nearly unlimited, and the fun comes from seeing which items you can throw in the level to guide your character along.

Mar

Amazon Pushes Software Updates For The Kindle Fire (2nd Gen), Kindle Fire HD 7", And Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

Posted by John Thompson in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD

Amazon has been busy working on software updates for its line of Kindle Fire devices, and the latest versions of the software for each device are now available to download.

For each device, the update provides enhancements for viewing textbooks, with the 2nd generation Fire and the Fire HD 7" getting "X-Ray for Textbooks". This feature allows users to access the most important terms and concepts, with glossary definitions and links to relevant pages within books.

The update also provides enhancements for print replica textbooks across each device. Thumbnails of each page are now available at the bottom of the screen, and you can make notes and highlights in your books, as well as jump from one chapter to another.

Mar

[Deal Alert] 1st Gen Nest Learning Thermostat On Sale For $179.99 Today On Amazon ($45 Off)

Posted by John Thompson in Deals

If you've been tempted to upgrade to a simple, automated thermostat, now might be a good time to do just that. As part of Amazon's 1-day Gold Box deal, you can pick up a 1st generation Nest thermostat for $179.99 today, which is almost $45 off yesterday's price of $223.75.

Nest is designed to learn your usage patterns, and keep your home heated the way you like it without wasting any energy. To make things a little simpler, it can also be controlled through a mobile app, which is available for free from the Play Store.

In comparison, the 2nd generation device, which is 20% thinner and compatible with 95% of homes as opposed to 75% in the 1st generation, is also available from Amazon, costing $249.99

The deal ends in 17 hours, or when stock runs out, so be quick!

Mar

Deal Alert: Amazon Offering SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSD Class 10 UHS-1 Card For Just $19.99

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals

There are those among us who simply need more storage. Phones like the Nexus 4, which offers only 8 or 16GB of storage just don't provide enough space for some users, and for them there are phones with microSD slots. MicroSD cards, though, aren't cheap. If you've been looking for a card with a high capacity but not a high price, Amazon has a deal for you.

The retailer is offering up the SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC Class 10 UHS-1 card (with adapter) for just $19.99. In recent memory, we haven't seen a better price on this card.

For those confused about what makes this a great microSD card (besides its 32GB capacity), it's class 10, meaning it's guaranteed to record video at at least 10MB/s, with promised data transfer speeds of up to 30MB/s.