Latest Articles
With Christmas right around the corner, it's the time of year when many people are scrambling around trying to find the "perfect" gift for their loved ones. Picking the right thing for "the person who has everything" can be quite the task – that's why we decided to offer up our favorite products for the year in a massive this-is-the-stuff-we-use-and-love-and-think-you-or-your-loved-ones-will-too (abbreviated as TitSWUaLaTYoYLOWT for short) list.
Guys and gals, it's a big day for nabi 2 owners. The days of rooting and flashing Google Play will be long gone later today, because Fuhu will be officially rolling Google Services out the company's most popular tablet.
Opera has long been doing good things in the area of data compression on mobile devices with its mobile browser thanks to Off-Road mode, but what if an app existed that could optimize nearly all mobile data while on the go? Thanks to a new app called Opera Max, that's a reality.
Gah, what a long, long, lonnng road it has been. From the rumors of "touch sensitive wood" to the actual Moto X launch, MotoMaker, and everything in between, a lot has happened with Motorola this year. And since the X's availability, many users have been chomping at the bit for some of that au naturel action on their phone. I'm referring, of course, to the wooden backs that have long been teased. Well, they're finally here. Err, one is, at least.
While long-time AP readers probably all know what PuGoo is, those who've only discovered the site within the last year or so are probably wondering what the hell we're babbling about. In short, it's a "specially formulated tacky pad that sticks to most surfaces, is reusable, leaves no residue and is extremely durable." I took that directly from the PuGoo website, so it should be a pretty accurate description.
[Holy Crap Finally] Netflix Profiles Available In Build 3.1.0, Rolling Out Now Through The Play Store
[Holy Crap Finally] Netflix Profiles Available In Build 3.1.0, Rolling Out Now Through The Play Store
Guys, guys, guys. Stop whatever you're doing and listen. Netflix Profiles are finally available on Android. Basically everyone on earth has been waiting this update for what seems like years. It hasn't actually been years, but still. It's been a while – since August, for those counting.
If Verizon's HTC One is your daily carry, good things are afoot: according to HTC Product Management Director @Moversi, the company has approved the 4.3 OTA and it should begin rolling out next week. This news comes roughly six weeks after HTC America President Jason Mackenzie stated that they company would need "more time to spin new [software] and re-test the 4.3 update," which was said to take approximately a month. Better late than never, I suppose.
At this point, you've probably heard about Tony Horton's monstrous gut-busting P90x workout. If not, check this out:
The list of devices that offer support for Samsung's first smartwatch is constantly growing, and today Verizon's Galaxy S 4 Mini gets to join that elite crew. The support docs just updated with details of the OTA, which highlights the Gear's potential usefulness.
This is the time of year when lots of folks are picking up new devices for loved ones who are still using their busted old handset from two years ago. Of course, it's not just about loved ones – contract upgrades and new phones in general apply to everyone, regardless of the time of year. If the DROID MAXX is on your (or a loved one's) wishlist this year, Amazon has a good deal going for anyone looking to jump over to Verizon from another carrier: the longest-lasting Droid to date is $12.50. Seriously. At that price, it might as well be a stocking stuffer.
It's not uncommon for Google (or other hardware manufacturers) to make subtle changes to devices post-release to fix problems that went unnoticed before the device hit hundreds of thousands users. That's exactly what happened with the Nexus 4, and it looks like the Nexus 5 is getting some hardware modifications of its own, as well.
This holiday season, I have little doubt that over-the-ear headphones will be a big seller. Among those sold, it's hard to deny that the bulk will likely be Beats by Dre, because that's what all the cool kids are wearing. If you're more concerned with what sounds good and is practical over what's "popular," however, Phiaton is a brand to keep an eye on. I've been using the company's two newest offerings, the Bluetooth Chord MS 530 and the compact Fusion MS 430 for the last several weeks, and definitely recommend both for those looking for such a product. Let's take a closer look at both and discuss why.
No sooner than we got 4.4.1 with camera fixes galore, 4.4.2 started hitting Nexus devices. While most should have already received the update, factory images are now available for download directly from Google. They're not alone in this rollout, as the binaries are also available if you need that sort of thing.
Spotify is great. Despite that fact that many of us abandoned it for Google Music All Access when that was announced, Spotify is still one of the best streaming music services available today. And it just got a lot better (and cheaper).
A few days ago we reported on a less-than-ideal situation over in India, where users who won Nexus 7s in Google's/Nestle's KitKat contest were receiving the 2012 model instead of the "new Nexus 7" as advertised. Naturally, users were outraged and insulted by this gesture and spoke out against both companies. Today, Nestle has taken to its KitKat India Facebook page to let users know that it plans on righting this wrong.
About a week ago, Google announced a new Chromecast update that would bring about some bug fixes and a "refreshed home screen." It wasn't made clear at the time exactly what that meant, but the update appears to be rolling out in full force now, so we've finally gotten a glimpse at this refresh, and it looks a lot better. Instead of just a stock image with huge "ready to cast" text and Chromecast's details, the new, minimal home screen cycles through beautiful images with the Chromecast's name in the bottom left and time in the bottom right. Here's a look at the the old and new compared:
Just this morning it was discovered that the long-rumored LG V510 isn't actually a Nexus tablet, but a Google Play Edition of the LG G Pad 8.3. Since the cat's basically out of the bag, LG decided now would be a good time to go ahead and make it official – the G Pad 8.3 will be the first Google Play Edition tablet.
Verizon recently uploaded a new support document for the Galaxy Note 3 to its support site detailing a new OTA update. While there's nothing major about this one, it does fix quite a few bugs. That's not all that's under the hood, however – it also brings four new pieces of bloatware along for the ride: MyInfoZone Widget, VMware, Verizon Support & Protection v2, and Verizon Cloud. Useful, eh? I didn't think so.
If you've been dying to get your hands on CyanogenMod's [kind of] recently-announced screencasting tool, the wait is over. The app has been released to the Play Store via beta channel. There are, of course, a few requisites before the app will work:
You know what can be fun if done in moderation? Most things, actually. Among those things, alcohol is probably high on the list for most people. While drinking, it's also fun to be able to quantify how intoxicated you actually are – something a little more than "my face is numb" or "Nah, I'm OK – I've only had 12 shots." That's where this nifty little Bluetooth breathalyzer from BACtrack ($150) comes into play – it can tell you exactly how drunk (or not drunk) you are in about 30 seconds. Both Artem and I have been playing with this for the last few weeks, and I have to admit – it's pretty cool and could really come in handy for those nights out. So, just in time for your Friday night debauchery, let's take a look at the world's first breathalyzer to sync with a smartphone.