16
May
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[Thursday App/Game Sales] SwiftKey/SwiftKey Tablet, World Of Goo, Majesty, And More

Posted by in Apps/Games, Deals, News

If you need a way to take your mind off how depressing it is to not be at Google I/O, then maybe a new app or game will help with that. There just so happens to be quite a few on sale today that may be able to help keep your busy brain at bay, lest you might drive yourself insane.

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Now, stop being so blue, panda bear.

16
May
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[New Old Game] Karateka Classic Brushes Itself Off, Fights Its Way Into The Play Store

Posted by in Games, News

Some games are old, and some games are really old. Karateka falls into the latter category. This side-scrolling karate action game was first developed in 1984 by the creator of Prince of Persia, and today a port enters the Play Store nearly 30 years later. Android gamers can now experience one of the grandfathers of the beat 'em up genre.

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Karateka first appeared on the Apple II, and is the product of a time when the number of colors your monitor displayed could be counted on your hands and feet. Games didn't have much in the way of plots back then, and most of them were the same.

16
May
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Simple And GoBank: A Closer Look At The Future Of Banking In The Cloud

Posted by in Applications, Features

Throughout the course of time, the US banking system has gone largely unchanged. There have been a variety of micro-evolutions – from cash to check, check to debit, and the like – but the way we interact with banks has remained much the same. Many people take comfort in the fact that they can walk into a local branch and speak with someone should a problem arise, but therein also lies the problem with banking as we know it: physical branches. I'm not saying that brick-and-mortar banks are a necessarily a bad thing in themselves, but being tethered to a physical location can be exceedingly annoying.

16
May
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[New Game] Classic Amiga Racer Reimagined In Fire & Forget: The Final Assault

Posted by in Games, News

Dateline: 1988. Across the country, thousands of Amiga computer owners discover a revelation: they can now play a game that includes both white-knuckle driving and indiscriminate violence (without heading to the arcade to spend a quarter on Spy Hunter) with Fire And Forget. The little-known but much-loved Titus game has been given new life in Fire & Forget: The Final Assault. This is no nostalgia trip, it's a brand new title, complete with modern graphics and a new trick for your rolling death machine: flight.

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Yes, not only can you shoot terrorists in a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, you can do it from a flying car.

16
May
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Hangouts Hangover: Here Are The Major Issues Google Has Promised To Fix In Hangouts... At Some Point

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, News

Hey, have you heard? Google Hangouts is now a thing. And by a thing, I mean Google's new universal, cross-platform chat solution. Ron's closer look hands-on should give you an idea of how Hangouts works (and how it doesn't). But the launch of Google's Talk / G+ Messenger replacement hasn't gone entirely smoothly, and there remain a few bumps to be ironed out - bumps Google has promised to fix. So here's what we know so far.

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A full rollout of the app is coming over the next "several days."

Google added a note to the app description for Hangouts indicating that the app would not be available to everyone immediately, and that even if you installed the app, opening it might take you to the old Google Talk interface.

15
May
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PSA: New Play Music App Silently Severs Support For Nexus Q Streaming

Posted by in Applications, News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

The Nexus Q has had a tough life so far – that goes without saying. Things just got a little worse for the handful of us that use (and enjoy) the Q though – Google has seemingly sliced streaming support from the latest Play Music update, further reducing the impact of the Q's admittedly very limited use case.

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Some users have actually reported problems with Q streaming dating all the way back to mid-March, and Google today responded to a thread on its Product Forums with the following:

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to report this issue. As you noticed, the latest version of Google Play Music isn't compatible with the Nexus Q.

15
May
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Tablet Apps Are Now Highlighted In The Play Store (And So Are Some Non-Tablet Apps)

Posted by in Applications, News
Last Updated: May 17th, 2013

Google made a big deal out of its improvements to the Play Store in the massive keynote that kicked off I/O, and at least some of them are live right now. Probably the most important for tablet owners is the ability to highlight apps specifically designed for tablets, or at least, the ones that have given some thought to layout and interface on larger screens. The updated tablet view is being rolled out right now, and on at least some devices (read:mine) it includes the option to filter out the smartphone chaff from the tablet wheat.

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If you want to see it, make sure your tablet is running the latest build of the Google Play Store (4.1.6 - download it here) and tap the Apps link on the front page.

15
May
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Google Play Games Is Live, And Here Is A List Of Games That Already Support It

Posted by in Games, News

Google officially announced the not-so-secretly-kept Play Games this morning, which brings game sync, leaderboards, achievements, and more to Android. Naturally, the first question on many users' minds is do any games already support it? In fact, several developers have already updated their games to add this new feature. Here's a look at what we've found so far:

15
May
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[I/O 2013] Google Gives Developers A 'Better Distribution Experience' In Revised Play Store Console Coming 'This Summer'

Posted by in Applications, Development, News

Between Hangouts, the gorgeous new Maps, Play Music All Access, and everything else discussed in I/O's opening keynote this morning, several revisions to the Play Store developer's console were announced.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to the console will be an organized method for alpha and beta testing, and staged rollouts.  Basically, developers can select alpha and beta testers, receiving all feedback directly (instead of through reviews) and, when the time comes, roll out the app to certain percentages of the user base.

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The changes also include a major help in ensuring your apps make sense to international users – a full translation service by which developers can order specific translations, come back a week or so later, and download the translations directly from the console.

15
May
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[I/O 2013] New Google Wallet Instant Buy API Should Make Emptying Your Bank Account Much Easier, More Efficient

Posted by in Applications, News

Google asserts that over 97% of mobile shoppers abandon their shopping carts because the process simply makes them jump through too many hoops. To free Android users from this heavy burden, Google has launched a new Google Wallet Instant Buy API that will allow mobile shoppers in Android apps to check out in as little as two clicks. No more poking out lengthy street address and re-looking up credit card information. If you're like me, and already spend too much money because of your phone, this is probably a double-edged sword. Just look at the reduced number of steps in the screenshots below and imagine your bank account slowly draining.

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