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Earlier this year, Mozilla introduced Firefox Accounts, an easier way to sync all the good stuff like your passwords, bookmarks, history, and open tabs across multiple devices. This is far from Firefox's first rodeo, as the browser has had support for syncing data since Chrome was a baby, but this introduces in a further degree of ease-of-use and consolidation that users have come to expect. Now the functionality has found its way into the latest version of the Firefox Beta Android app.
The Asus Transformer Pad TF701T launched with Android 4.2, with an update to 4.3 coming less than a month later. Unsurprisingly, an update to KitKat hasn't arrived nearly as quickly. This could be disheartening, but as seasoned Android users have come to expect, a ROM speeding things along is usually on its way. CyanogenMod 11 is now available for the TF701T, proving users with a way to experience Android 4.4 on what is a pretty compelling device.
Motorola has a reputation of late for making relatively few changes to the stock Android experience, but taking photos is one of the areas where the company has applied some of its own tender loving care. The app, which can activate with just a flick of the wrist, encourages users to take pictures by touching anywhere on the screen. Now those who would prefer a more tactile approach have that option as well. With version 3.2, users can take pictures using a smartphone's volume keys instead.
In an ideal world, a phone's SIM card would work with whichever carrier you choose. No having to sell a Verizon HTC One to switch to an identical one on Sprint. A device with a carrier-free SIM card could go wherever its owner wanted it to. The only problem is, such a product is currently illegal across most of the planet. Only in the Netherlands is the story starting to change. There, a recent change in the country's Telecommunications Act means its residents may soon be the few in the world whose cards aren't legally tied down to a specific carrier.
MarkAsRead for Gmail is a quintessential Android app. It does just one thing, and before you go hunting for an app description to figure it out, try giving its name another read. That's right, MarkAsRead for Gmail... lets you mark Gmail messages as read straight from the notification. In between the usual archive and reply buttons that Google provides out of the box, this app sneaks in that ever-so-useful (mark as) read option.
Last month YouTube for Google TV vanished from the Play Store like a vampire slain by Lincoln himself, quietly fading from public view, seen only by those who had previously downloaded it and already knew of its existence. But like the immortal being that it is, YouTube has risen back from the dead. Not only that, it's stronger, having now received a relatively minor update to version 1.7.5.
Qualcomm Toq Gains Augmented SmartWatch Pro Support, Its First Important Win Since The SDK's Release
Last month Qualcomm released the SDK for its Toq smartwatch, inviting developers to create much needed apps for the device. Unsurprisingly, software hasn't exactly flooded in. Nevertheless, the Toq has just scored its largest win yet - the latest Augmented SmartWatch Pro update adds support for Qualcomm's wristwatch.
Google Play gift cards are only available in a handful of countries around the world, but now they have made their way into Hong Kong. Here they are on Google Play in increments of 200, 500, and 1000 Hong Kong dollars.
Huawei recently shared plans to release a dual-OS Android/Windows device in the US come Q2 of this year. Now, the company has publically stepped back from those words. It didn't provide an explanation, but it did emphasize its "open approach" towards mobile operating systems and a desire to provide "a range of choices for consumers." Most of the Huawei's handsets will continue to run Android, and while Windows Phone still isn't off the table completely, the two platforms won't play along anytime soon.
For people who have a Comcast cable subscription, the Xfinity TV Go app is quite the nice piece of software. Rather than just providing shows for immediate streaming, which is less groundbreaking these days than it used to be, Comcast provides quite a few channels for live streaming. Now many more networks are available, including A&E, Cooking Channel, DIY, Food Network, HGTV, History Channel, MUN2 (companion to Telemundo), Sprout, Starz, TBS, TRUtv, TNT, and the Travel Channel. Aside from missing CBS, March Madness is pretty much covered.
For our readers across the pond, BBC iPlayer takes some of the network's shows and provides them for easy viewing on Android devices. What about the TV? The latest version of the app has that covered too. This would be a surprise, but we already spilled the beans on this release a few days ago. We knew this update was to coincide with the launch of Chromecasts in the UK on March 19th, and now it's here.
Artist Janet Echelman builds giant, living sculptures that respond to the elements around them. These massive works of art typically sway in the wind, flow with the water, or respond to light. This time, Echelman's work is interacting with Chrome. Her piece, built in collaboration with Google Creative Director Aaron Koblin, now descends over water and walkways from a Vancouver skyscraper, changing color in response to the input it receives from visitors on the ground.
Google's messaging situation has been a mess. When Hangouts first appeared, it replaced Google+ Messenger and Google Talk, bringing the company's list of similarly-named Android apps from four down to three. Once Hangouts gained SMS support and replaced Messenger, that dropped the number down to two. Voice is all that remains, and if a report by 9to5 Google is to be believed, we only have a handful of months to wait for it to kick the bucket, with a possible Google I/O announcement seeming increasingly likely.
Last December, Google announced LiquidFun, a cross-platform physics engine developers could use to create realistic gaming experiences. Now, as a part of Google Developer Day at this year's Game Developers Conference, the company has released version 1.0 out into the wild. It's also provided no shortage of videos demoing what the project is capable of.
Using Dayframe to turn an Android tablet into a digital photo frame may not sound like the most affordable option out there, but at this point in time, more than a few of us have a couple old Honeycomb-era Android tablets lying around that aren't good for too much else. Following the introduction of Chromecast support in version 2.0 last month, it's pretty simple to turn your TV into one as well. Now the latest update is making such streaming available out of the box. There are no time limits, ads, or restrictions of any kind on the Chromecast slideshow.
Sony's released another Xperia-exclusive app into the Play Store, and while this piece of software does extend what your phone's camera is capable of, it isn't quite the Zperia Z1's Timeshift Burst feature that the company posted to Google Play a few months back. This one's just for laughs. Voice Balloon Photo is a dedicated camera app, but rather than improving the quality of your shots, it adds character by capturing the voices around you and turning them into speech bubbles in real-time.
Last month Facebook bought WhatsApp for way too much money, making the app's developers very wealthy individuals. This deal, theoretically, gives Facebook access to the data provided by the app's nearly half a billion users. The companies behind the social network and the instant messenger have both promised that WhatsApp will continue to operate autonomously, but this hasn't completely alleviated privacy concerns. Thus WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum has shared a blog post aimed at "setting the record straight."
There are many reasons to pick up a Google Play gift card. Whether someone's birthday is coming up, you don't have your own credit card, or just you want to force yourself to stick to a budget, gift cards can make it easier to scratch a Google Play itch. Google's gradually rolled out availability to a handful of countries around the world, and it looks like the latest locale to make the list will be Hong Kong.
[GDC 2014] Pebble Announces Three New Games Now Available In The Appstore - Mr. Runner, Icon Pop Quiz, And Hatchi
Pebble has announced three new games.
That new smartwatch may not be the first platform that comes to mind when the urge comes to kill time gaming, but Pebble wants to change that. Today at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, the company announced three games that it's immediately making available for its smartwatch. The three titles - Mr. Runner, Icon Pop Quiz, and Hatchi - all come from different developers, and as you can see below, they're now just a tap away in the Pebble appstore.
People who have used Duolingo on the web or on iOS may have grown accustomed to a virtual shop where they're encouraged to spend hard-earned points on cool stuff. Now that engaging feature has come to Android. Whenever you complete an achievement going forward, Duolingo will reward you with Lingots that you can spend on all sorts of items ranging from power-ups to bonus language skills.