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May

TestFlight Offers Beta Android App Deployment To All After Serving 4,500 Apps In Private Beta

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Back in February, TestFlight announced that it would be bringing its services to Android in the form of a private beta, having already served over 300,000 apps on iOS. Today, though, TestFlight has announced that it is ready to lift the private beta, opening beta Android compatibility to all users. TestFlight says that during its 45-day beta period, 5000 developers uploaded over 4500 apps.

The service, for those unfamiliar, is a widely popular beta testing platform, allowing developers to quickly and smoothly deploy beta apps to select users. Though, as we mentioned in our previous coverage, other options do exist for Android developers (like the Play Store’s private app deployment), TestFlight does offer considerable value in terms of security, helpful tracking and analytics, and - perhaps best of all - centralized feedback.

May

Galaxy S4 Now Officially Supported By CyanogenMod - First Nightly Builds Out For T-Mobile And Canadian Variants

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Galaxy S4, News, Samsung

A couple of months ago, a number of team Hacksung/CyanogenMod members expressed frustration and doubt regarding the fate of the popular custom ROM when it came to Samsung's newest flagship - the Galaxy S4 (see our review). Other CM members quickly put an end to the misinterpretation, but not before some prematurely jumped to incorrect conclusions. Needless to say, when Steve Kondik, a.k.a. Cyanogen, took to G+ to announce the first upcoming S4 builds, he couldn't resist the opportunity for a healthy dose of sarcasm:

His follow-up messages confirmed that the T-Mobile and Canadian S4s were first in line, followed by the international i9505 at some point in the future when the team gets a hold of the hardware, though it's not clear whether the i9500 or other Exynos Octa variants will be supported.

Apr

Yahoo! For Android Goes 1.0 With Story Streams, 'Summaries By Yahoo!'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Yahoo's self-branded app for Android – called simple Yahoo! – has just moved up to version 1.0, an update that brings with it some not-insignificant enhancements.

First among these is the app's story streams and "summaries by Yahoo!", in which news stories are parsed into bite-sized summaries. The functionality is somewhat similar to Wavii's aggregation and summarization service, but is more probably tied to Yahoo's recent acquisition of Summly. While we can't be sure just yet if Summly's handiwork is making Yahoo's app tick behind the scenes, it was noted at the time of acquisition that the summary service's technology would "soon return to multiple Yahoo!

Apr

Quick Look: Official Book Cover For The Nexus 10 – It's Something

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Accessories, Google, Nexus 10, Other Reviews, Reviews

In the interest of time, I'll spare you, dear readers, my usual spiel and say simply this: I like official accessories. In theory, anyway. I like the idea of accessories specifically made for specific devices by the device's original manufacturer. I've been delighted by the Nexus 7 pogo dock, and love the Nexus 10 pogo charger (though it isn't actually official yet).

Then there's the official book cover for the Nexus 10. We first saw this cover when the Nexus 10 was announced, and then it vanished into thin air for nearly six months before making a sudden appearance in the Play Store.

Mar

Watch: Samsung's Official 4-Minute Galaxy S4 Introduction Video

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy S4, News, Samsung, Videos

Now that Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S4, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the new features and software improvements. I know I am still trying to wrap my head around various S Things while pondering whether we have an S Hit on our hands on or not.

To aid with the process and showcase every square inch of the Galaxy ~~S3S~~ S4, the company uploaded this official 4m24s Galaxy S4 intro video, complete with elevator music and lots of subtitles. Have a look at the 5" 7.9mm device, available in Black Mist and White Frost, up close and explore the new additions, such as:

better-looking UI
finger-powered Air View
Smart Pause
WatchON
built-in optical reader
glove mode
Group Play
Drama Shot
Sound & Shot
Dual Shot
Dual Recording
Dual Video Call
Share Screen
S Translator
Adapt Display
and S Health

Mar

Samsung Just Officially Unveiled 'The Next Big Thing' – Come Meet The Galaxy S4!

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy S4, News, Samsung, Videos

Last Updated: March 15th, 2013

Well, the day is here, boys and girls – Samsung's newest flagship is a go. As expected (and never doubted), it's called the Galaxy S4, and it picks up where the GSIII left off. Offering even more eye-tracking features, more horsepower under the hood, and a few tricks from the Note II's playbook, the GS4 is a worthy successor to the world's most popular Android phone. Let's get down to the nitty gritty.

5" 1080p Super AMOLED HD display (441 PPI) – it even works with gloves on (!)
1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor / 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos processor (depending on market)
2GB DDR3 RAM
13 MP Rear shooter, 2MP front camera – you can shoot videos and take pictures with both at the same time
16GB/32GB/64GB Storage, microSD card slot with support up to 64GB
Android 4.2.2 with a "totally new and upgraded user experience"
Available on 327 operators in 155 countries
Bluetooth 4.0
4G LTE Support
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
IR Blaster
MHL 2.0
Temperature and humidity sensors (!)
2,600mAH battery
136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Two colors: Black Mist, White Frost

As hardware progression is a given with new devices, the specs alone aren't all that impressive.

Mar

Google Pares Nexus 7 Cover Selection, Axing Gray Version, Kicking Pink Version Out Of The U.S.

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ASUS, Google, News, Nexus 7

In what seems to be a fairly arbitrary move, Google has trimmed the fat from the Play Store's Nexus 7 cover selection. The lineup, which formerly included pink, light blue, and gray, has been cut down to just the light blue color in the US, with the pink cover variant appearing outside the US. The gray cover has been axed completely.

Jan

Official Nexus 7 Dock Quick Review: A Solid Accessory That's Worth Its Price – If You Can Find It

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ASUS, Nexus 7, Other Reviews, Reviews

After months of speculation, pre-orders, and cameo appearances, it's finally here (kind of) – one of the precious few official Nexus accessories users have ever been able to purchase: the Nexus 7 Dock. After snapping one up when they appeared at B&H, I was one of the unlucky handful to receive a "we regret to inform you" email, noting that the dock was not, in fact, available yet. Just a few days later, though, my dock showed up in the mail.

Jan

HTC Holiday (Vivid/Raider/Velocity) Added To CyanogenMod Roster With First Official CM10 Weekly

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Holiday / Raider, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Vivid

After more than a month of unofficial CyanogenMod builds, the HTC Holiday (also known as the Vivid, Raider, or Velocity) has joined the ranks of devices with official CM support, receiving its first weekly CM10 build earlier today. It's not yet clear when or if the Holiday's build cycle will transition to a nightly schedule.

At the time of writing, the build's known issues involve Bluetooth Audio skipping, hardware video playback, tethering, and the inability to record video in 1080p. Otherwise, the Holiday's first weekly looks like daily driver material.

If you're still toting HTC's Holiday and want to be brought up to speed with Android 4.1.2 (plus the CM enhancements we know and love), hit the links below to keep up with the conversation and get the latest build.

Jan

Tapatalk HD Leaves Beta, Is On One-Day Only Sale For $0.99 In The Play Store

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Back in late December, Tapatalk HD beta left the forum-only download arrangement and made its way into the Play Store as a free download. Now, the beta period has ended, the aforementioned freebie is no more, and the first stable client is available.

For those who may not be familiar with Tapatalk, it's essentially a way to natively interact with many forums from your Android device. This prevents you from having to deal with the cumbersome (and not-touch-friendly) interface of most message boards. While its phone counterpart has been available since what seems like the dawn of time, Tapatalk HD is the first build that is optimized for use on the larger screen of a tablet.