10
Feb
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Silence Updates To Version 2.0, Gets New UI, Calendar Integration, Recurring Events, And More

Posted by in Applications, News

Handy volume control app Silence got a nice update today to version 2.0. The update, besides introducing a new (holo) interface, adds a ton of new functionality. So much, in fact, that the app's functionality now overshadows its simple name.

For starters, the update adds Google Calendar integration (for Android 4.0+), and support for recurring events, each with their own volume profile. Users can configure the events to repeat until a given date, and the app can control notification, media, and alarm volumes with individual levels for each. Oh, and Silence can toggle mobile data, though that feature is currently in beta.

10
Feb
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PushBullet Updated To Version 8 With Device Sharing: 'Friends Let Friends Push'

Posted by in Applications, News

PushBullet, the dynamic, practical push notification app we included in our top five roundup yesterday got a nice update today. The update brings the app to version 8 and introduces a feature that makes it even more awesome – the ability to push to others' devices or have them push to your own.

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You might be wondering why this is such an awesome feature. Well, today's post to the PushBullet blog explains that with a few examples: users can push each other the address to a new restaurant, a quick grocery list update, a cheerful image, or use sharing to "Rickroll your friends in a new and exciting way."

Sharing devices with other PushBullet users is easy – just head to your online dashboard at PushBullet.com and hit the "Share" button next to a device.

09
Feb
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[App Roundup] Our Top Six Favorite New Apps To Check Out From January 2013

Posted by in Applications, Roundups
Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

January, like most months, had plenty in the way of new apps and games. We've already published our list of the top five games from last month, so it only seems right that we follow up with the month's best apps.

From backup utilities to social/RPG/motivational fitness apps, January 2013 had something for everyone. In the interest of saving our readers time, energy, and perhaps some money, we've rounded up the six very best apps every Android user should know about from the past month.

29
Oct
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A Closer Look At Android 4.2's Quick Settings Menu And The Two-Finger Swipe To Open It Instantly

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Nexus 10, Nexus 4

Back in early October while we were knee-deep in a pre-release Android 4.2 system dump, Ron found an interesting tidbit of info on a "quick settings" menu. Back then, it was a double pull down notification area that housed absolutely nothing of value. Thanks to today's Nexus/Android 4.2 announcements, however, we know not only what options the Quick Settings area will feature, but also how to really access it.

There are actually two ways to get into the QS menu, as highlighted by Hugo Barra in an incredible behind-the-scenes video put together by The Verge (see the full video here):

As you can see in the above clip, there will be a small toggle in the notification area directly beside the current Settings button, which, when pressed, will cause the notification area to do a neat little flip, revealing the Quick Setting area.

09
Oct
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New Feature In Android 4.1.2: Expanding/Collapsing Notifications With One Finger [Video]

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Videos

Buried deep within the changelog of Android 4.1.2 that arrived today is a very welcomed change to the way expandable notifications are handled by the OS. Introduced in Jelly Bean, expanding and collapsing notifications originally required two fingers to operate. Not anymore! A handy gesture now allows easy expansion and collapsing with just one finger, making it easier to perform this task while holding a device in one hand.

Collapsing is a little tricky at first and requires first pulling down and then up. Once you figure it out, it becomes a no-brainer, but is a little confusing if you don't know what you're doing.

04
Sep
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Download: CyanogenMod 10 Messaging App With Quick Message, Notification Shade Quick Reply

Posted by in Applications, Jelly Bean 4.1

CyanogenMod's recent improvements to CM10's messaging app – Quick Message pop-ups and "Quick Reply" functionality in the notification shade – are now available for download in apk form.

If you missed our initial coverage of CM10's latest enhancements to the messaging app (thanks to David von Tonder), here's the short version: the default messaging app in recent CM10 builds includes a feature called Quick Message that, upon receipt of a new SMS message, triggers a handy popup notification that allows users to quickly type up a reply, swipe to other new messages, view the message in the messaging app, or simply dismiss the notification.

03
Sep
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CyanogenMod Introduces Quick Message Pop-Ups, Notification Shade 'Quick Reply' Action On The Way

Posted by in Android OS, Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

A couple of days ago, the CyanogenMod team announced via Google+ a new feature merged to CM's Jelly Bean code branch – Quick Message. In case you missed it, Quick Message is a feature (built by David van Tonder) that displays a pop-up notification upon receipt of a new SMS message, offering the ability to reply from within the pop-up, view the message in Android's Messaging app, swipe to another new message, or close the notification.

Today, van Tonder (along with CyanogenMod) announced even further enhancements to the feature, primarily influenced by user feedback, adding a "Quick reply" option to SMS messages' actionable notifications.

31
Jul
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Google Updates Play Store Developer Policy, Puts The Smack Down On Intrusive Advertising

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, News

In an e-mail sent out to Play Store developers earlier, Google announced several updates to its developer program policy. The e-mail mentioned changes in policy including clarification to payment policy regarding subscription billing, the restriction of the "use of names or icons confusingly similar to existing system apps" (a statement that brings back memories of Facebook's "Messenger" gaffe), clarification regarding dangerous products, and practices that violate the Play Store's spam policy, all in addition to a stringent new Ad Policy.

Here's the full text of the e-mail:

Hello Google Play Developer,

We are constantly striving to make Google Play a great community for developers and consumers.

10
Jul
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[New App] Notification History Keeps Tracks Of Notifications, Lets You Find The Source Without Jelly Bean

Posted by in Applications, News

In Jelly Bean, Google introduced an incredibly useful new feature that allows users to find the source of a notification by long-pressing on it and selecting "app info." This is fantastic for those occasions when notifications are showing up without a clear idea of what is causing it. The problem is, that's only helpful on devices running Jelly Bean (which isn't a whole lot at this point).

For everyone else, there's a new app called Notification History.

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NH is very simple: it runs as a service, collecting your notifications. Thus, you can go back later and not only check to see which apps are the cause of annoying notifications, but also read or re-read ones that have already been dismissed.

28
Jun
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One Of Jelly Bean's Best Features - Say Goodbye To Notification Spam By Selectively Disabling Notifications For Individual Apps

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Videos

Airpush and similar notification spammers, your days are numbered. The people have spoken - everyone universally hates these types of ads, and Google actually listened to our numerous complaints.

In Jelly Bean, you can not only figure out exactly which app caused a notification by long-pressing it and selecting App Info - you can actually disable notifications on a per-app basis altogether. That, my friends, is not just a slap in Airpush's face - it's a swift kick in its private parts.

This is exactly how it's done, in case you wanted a demonstration:

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Awww, yeah!

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