app - 28/80 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Nexus Q App Updated To Support Devices Running 2.3.3 And Later, YouTube App Gains Q Compatibility

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

The Nexus Q, unveiled at this year's I/O conference to a somewhat unsure audience, is a device that looks to unify your living room's media experience, allowing the streaming of all your Play Store content to connected speakers and TVs, while also allowing for remote control from your (or your friends') Android devices.

One of the Nexus Q's main claims to fame is that it allows anyone in the room to connect and share Play Store content quickly and easily. Until today, however, Google's Nexus Q app was incompatible with devices not running Android's latest iteration – 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Today's update fixed that, though, opening compatibility to all devices running 2.3.3 Gingerbread and later.

Jul

PSA: Your Android Devices Appear In Google Dashboard, Find Out Which Apps Have Backups Available

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

The Google Dashboard is a handy tool for keeping up with what information Google has stored for you in its various different products. One piece of the handy information, though, has taken a while to become available but it's there now: your Android devices. It's unclear if this feature has been around for a while, but either way, it's useful. If you'd like to see which devices are registered with Google, and more interestingly, which apps on those devices have backups stored on Google's servers, you can do so from your dashboard.

Unfortunately, as with a lot of information on the Dashboard, you can see this info, but you can't do much with it from here.

Jul

Pushover Goes On Sale For $0.99 To Celebrate Teaming Up With Ifttt To Bend The Internet To Your Will

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Alright, follow me on this one. Pushover is an app for Android that allows web apps, scripts, and a ton of other fancy developer things to plug in to your notification shade on your phone or tablet. Ifttt (short for 'If This, Then That') is a web app that lets you script actions that will be performed when predetermined conditions like new emails, new dropbox files, new RSS feed posts, etc., are met. Ifttt now supports Pushover notifications. The internet is officially subject to your whims. Now you can be notified of virtually anything that Ifttt is aware of, directly in the most convenient notification system you have.

Jul

Bell Media's CTV Olympics London 2012 App Will Keep Canadian Android Users Up-To-Date With Live Video And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

We've already seen official Olympics 2012 streaming apps for both the UK and the US, promising great mobile coverage of this year's games, but Bell Media recently introduced another solution, this time for Canadian Android users looking to stay up to date on the action in London.

CTV Olympics London 2012's main feature is, of course, live streaming video of the games, but the app also offers several other features that will keep users entertained and tuned in.

Among these are up-to-the-minute video highlights, a trivia game that offers daily prizes from Samsung, and a series of "Ultimate Fan" challenges offering users the chance to attend the closing ceremony in London.

Jul

Dexetra Updates "Memory" App Friday With Slick New UI And Applets

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, News, Reviews

Introduction

Over a year ago, I reviewed an interesting life journal app called Friday. The app aimed to record every single interaction a user had with their smartphone, including calls, texts, mails, photos, social activities, and songs played. My conclusion was that while Friday was a polished app, it was doubtful whether it would actually be useful. The developer Dexetra then spent a year running alpha and beta tests, and their latest version of Friday is a lot more polished, with an improved focus.

Updates to Friday

In terms of overall function, Friday has not changed very much. It collects a variety of information about what you are doing and then displays it, with answers and analytics.

Jul

XFINITY TV Player App Updated To Support The Nexus 7, Promises A 7" UI Soon Enough

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News, Nexus 7

Leave it to Comcast to be ahead of the curve on keeping up to date with new technology*. The Comcast subsidiary Xfinity has just updated its TV Player app to be compatible with Android 4.1, with special emphasis on supporting the Nexus 7. The app is technically compatible, though the release notes say that the next version of the app will include a UI designed specifically for the 7" form factor.

While Xfinity probably isn't the first company to announce plans for or produce a 7"-specific UI for an app on the Play Store, it does highlight yet again the beginning of the trend we all knew was coming since I/O: 7" form factors are going to be a beast unto themselves.

Jul

NOW TV Launches On Android In The UK, Offers Mobile Movies And Television Shows To Sky Movies Pass Subscribers

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

We've got a treat for you today, UK readers. If you've ever gotten tired of seeing products come out for the US with nary a release date for you in sight, today's the day you get one back: NOW TV, the UK-only streaming movie and TV service, is now available on Android. As long as you have a Sky Movies Pass, of course.

The service offers quite a few big name movies and plenty of television shows to watch. As with any online streaming service, it's not going to have everything, but for watching stuff on the go? Yeah, it will do the job.

Jul

The Verge Launches Its Very Own Android App, For The Rest Of Your Tech News Needs

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Since you're reading Android Police, we know you've already got all your Android news covered. But hey, we know there are other gadgets out there! For that, the Verge is a pretty great source of information. For the (very few) uninitiated, the Verge is a gadget blog founded by former Editor-in-Chief of Engadget Joshua Topolsky. For broad gadget news of the industry at large, there are few publications that are better.

The app looks pretty great on a phone, though the tablet layout is non-existent. The app even locks to portrait mode, which isn't a big deal for all you new and future Nexus 7 owners, but for virtually every other Android tablet in existence, it's a little annoying.

Jul

AutoRap From Smule Will Turn Things You Say Into A Rap Song - Yes, Even Shakespeare

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Smule is a developer best known for creating some really amazing novelty music apps. The company's latest is AutoRap which does exactly what it says on the tin: it takes your speech and automagically turns it into a rap. To test this feature, I fed it the only logical thing to run through an auto-rapping app: Shakespeare. Specifically, Puck's closing monologue from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

If your head's not bopping and your butt's not shaking, you have no appreciation for music or literature. On a more serious note, the app is pretty impressive and beautifully designed.

Jul

Pre-Built XBMC Apk Is Available, Here's What It Looks Like Running On A Nexus Q

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Earlier this week, we mentioned that the amazing folks behind the XBMC project are bringing the app to Android. Well, it's still very early, but would you like to see what it's gonna be like? Of course you do. If you've got a Nexus Q or an Android-compatible set top box, you can download the apk from our mirrors below. For the rest of you, here's what it looks like running on a lovingly hacked Nexus Q, courtesy of Cyanogenmod developer Jason Parker:

The interface is still very much centered around arrow keys/a d-pad. Touch input does work, but text is very small on a phone and not much better on a tablet.