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Lots of news stuff is happening in Dropbox-land today! The company is holding its first-ever developer conference, dubbed DBX, and has already made a slew of announcements highlighting new features.
Are you an Android developer? Are you struggling with a good design for your app? Fret not, boys and gals – Android Police has teamed up with Wiley to offer up 10 copies of Android Design Patterns: Interaction Design Solutions for Developers.
Facebook must've known what it was doing with the launch of Chat Heads, but that feature has been duplicated in everything from custom ROMs to apps attempting to clone the feature. The newest app to take note of Facebook's chat application is Floating Touch (not, it's not that floating touch), an app that makes basically any toggle, navigation shortcut, or app just a tap away.
Use Uber? Love Google stuff? Good news – the two have become wed. Well, sort of wed. Uber just received a fairly major update that bakes a couple of significant Google services into the app: the ability to sign in/up with your Google account, and the option to pay with Google Wallet.
Google has just published the platform distribution numbers collected over the past two weeks, and things are finally looking up for the 4.1+ crowd. It's been a long, tedious, tiring trek, but Android 4.1.x/4.2.x, collectively known as Jelly Bean, has finally become the dominate OS – surpassing Gingerbread by 3.8 percent. It may not be a huge amount, but Jelly Bean is currently running on 37.9 percent of all devices – a full 4.9% more than last month's numbers.
Long-time Twitter users have their fair share of daily annoyances with the company's mobile application, but an update just hit the Play Store that should improve on some of those – namely DM synchronization and better search results.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Available Today On MetroPCS And C Spire Wireless
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Available Today
While the Big Four have been able to tout the GS 4 for several months now, customers of most smaller carriers have been left wanting. Today marks the launch of the device for two such carriers: MetroPCS and C Spire Wireless.
One issue that has plagued many Google Voice users since the dawn of time (or at least since GV became a thing) is how not good the app itself is. Those who use GV as their primary phone number are stuck using the app for things like sending/receiving SMS messages, and up until now, there was absolutely no alternative.
We've covered some of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market over the last few months – everything from small and affordable to large and pricey. But I can promise you that we've never covered anything like the Ultimate Ears (UE) BOOM ($199). It's simply the best Bluetooth speaker I've ever heard, price be damned.
If you bought into the ruggedized LTE device hype and picked up a Kyocera Torque on Sprint, then good news is afoot: your little tank is getting its taste of Jelly Bean beginning in just three days' time. According to Sprint's update blog, the Torque should begin receiving an update on July 5th that not only brings Android 4.1.2 to the rough-and-tough handset, but also international calling, the ability to "power cycle," email sync fixes, and enhancements to sleep mode.
Back when Redbox Instant first hit Android, many users were a bit upset that Redbox and Verizon decided to shun rooted users by blocking the app's video playback on rooted devices. Updates came and went, but nothing was done to correct this [rather ridiculous] error. Until now.
There comes a time in every smartphone owner's life when upgrading is necessary. Sometimes it's by choice; other times by necessity. Either way, we're usually left with an aging phone we no longer use (or want, in most cases), which gets thrown in a drawer and forgotten. Poor little guys. Let's all take a moment of silence in honor of all the smartphones that have been replaced and thrown to the wayside to be forgotten.
Microsoft OneNote Updated With New Formatting Options, Support For Office 365 Notebooks, And More
Microsoft OneNote Updated With New Formatting Options
Microsoft is on a roll today – first a Skype update, and now OneNote for Android is on the receiving end of a fairly major update, as well. Those who rely on Microsoft's note-taking service should find that the update brings some rather favorable and useful changes, including support for Office 365 notebooks and new formatting options. Here's a look at the full changelog:
With only 9GB of user-accessible storage, the 16GB variant of the GS4 simply won't do for many users. Sure, you can throw a microSD card in it for movies, music, pictures, etc., but that won't help in the slightest if you need more space for apps (for now, at least). The solution? Get the 32GB version. And if you're on AT&T, Amazon just knocked the price down by $40, making it comparable to the 16GB version's retail subsidized price.
If you haven't already abandoned one of those other streaming music services for Google Music All Access, today's the last day to do so for the introductory price of $7.99. As of tomorrow, July 1st, the price will jump up to the standard $9.99 per month, which rivals that of All Access' main competitor, Spotify. Unfortunately, All Access is US-only for now, so international users will have to wait for Google to roll the service out globally – hopefully they'll offer the same $7.99 incentive as it becomes available in more locations.
Deal Of The Day: V-Moda Crossfade LP Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal Headphones Are Amazon's Gold Box Today – $74.99 from $199 (63% Off)
V-Moda Crossfade LP Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal Headphones Are Amazon's Gold Box Today
If you're in the market for some new, high-quality over-the-ear headphones but aren't sure where to start, check out today's Gold Box deal on Amazon: V-Moda's Crossfade LPs are going for $75. These are normally $200 a pop (though Amazon's yesterday price was $107), so that's a fairly substantial savings (63% off for those who prefer to calculate their savings in percentages).
Jelly Bean Coming To Verizon's Droid Xyboards Eventually, All Other Variants Will Likely Stay On ICS
So here's a new one: a carrier-branded device is going to get an Android version bump while its Wi-Fi only counterparts are stuck on an older version. This is against everything we've seen in the Android world since the dawn of time, where Wi-Fi devices normally surpass their cellular-connect brethren on a regular basis. To make the situation even more interesting, we're talking about Verizon devices here.
Big Android BBQ 2013 Tickets Now On Sale, Including The New [x] Package For $5,317.78
Big Android BBQ 2013 Tickets Now On Sale
The Big Android BBQ 2013 is just a few months away at this point (October 10-12), and if you missed out on the early bird special, tickets are now officially on sale a the regular prices. Like with years past, there are a variety of packages to choose from, including an all new [x] option.
We've seen Android running on a lot of things lately (outside of phones and tablets, that is) – ovens, game consoles, and a lot more. With people wanting more and more out of their TV, we've also seen an influx of devices that aim to turn that boring old HDTV of yours into a "smart" TV. But Sceptre is doing something a little different – it released a soundbar that runs Android and turns your TV into something more intelligent than it currently is. It's an interesting concept, no doubt.
If you're a fan of the new slide-out menu that has slowly been making its way into all of Google's official apps and also like to watch movies/TV shows, today's your lucky day! Play Movies just got a sizeable update that not only brings said menu, but also a sleeker look and a couple of new features: