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Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers. Today is the day that we reflect on all we have to feel thankful for... for about ten minutes. then we binge on food, football, and consumerism. If you'd like to skip the first two, you can score a sweet deal on the updated Nexus 7 tablet over at eBay. One vendor has [ebay id="370952014264" text="a new 16GB model for $189.99"], $40 off, and another is offering a refurbished [ebay id="231067709025" text="32GB N7 2013 for $209.99"], a full $60 off the retail price.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got an interesting online turn-based RPG, another pixelated adventure from Nostalgic, and a game that brings both the wub-wub and the unse-unse. Without further ado:
The Angry Birds franchise has thus far been on the lighter side of the free-to-play model - the original game launched free and ad-supported on Android, and later versions added small charges for HD versions and a few in-app bonuses like the Mighty Eagle. But it looks like Rovio is pulling out all the stops when it comes to the upcoming kart racer, Angry Birds Go. Pocket Gamer reports that gamers in New Zealand (where the game is getting an early launch on iOS) are finding it positively stuffed with in-app purchases.
Chromecast has been slowly but steadily adding support from major media apps since it launched: Hulu Plus, Pandora, and HBO GO have joined Netflix and Google's own Play Music, Play Movies, and YouTube. Apparently the Big G thinks this is enough to warrant a dedicated sub-section of the Play Store, as spotted by Google Operating System. Depending on your device and its resolution, it might show up on the main Apps page or necessitate a quick swipe to the left to open the Categories menu.
There's a new version of YouTube out, and as usual, hidden inside its chocolaty center are hints at upcoming features and capabilities. We've seen information about a lot of this stuff before, some of which has even been confirmed by Google itself. Aside from the user interface changes we mentioned in the announcement post, there are framework elements for the upcoming YouTube subscription service, "Uninterrupted Playback," an offline video mode, and background music listening.
A few months ago we told you about a nifty music streaming app called SoundSeeder, which lets you stream audio directly from one Android device to another over WiFi. At the time I mentioned that it was a cool idea, but the fact that it didn't allow users to stream Google Music songs over the connection was a bit of a let down. Developer JekApps took my complaint under advisement, and let us know that there's a new version that enables Google Play Music streaming after all. Full marks for ingenuity!
The 1080p update to the Nexus 7 is all the rage at the moment, but that doesn't make the original Tegra 3 version from 2012 any less worthy. And since it's now being discounted just about everywhere, it's considerably more worthy than it might otherwise be. Case in point: Groupon is offering the WiFi tablet on its online-only shopping portal at 9 for the 16GB version, 9 for 32GB.
For a lot of users, Titanium Backup is one of the first Android apps they install on a new device or ROM. So it's no surprise that a few of them were dismayed when they tried to do so on the Nexus 5 (or one of a growing number of updated Android 4.4 devices) with the fancy new Android Runtime enabled, and found that Titanium would crash. The developer has updated the app to 6.1.4.1 in short order, and it should now run in both ART and Dalvik.
The retail slugfest that is Black Friday is almost upon us, and several stores are eager to get in a few punches before the bell. That includes Staples, which is reviving its well-received off tablets coupon from earlier this year. The coupon is valid online, in stores, or over the phone (people still shop over the phone?) but it will expire after today, November 27th.
When a new version of Android drops, it's Nexus this and Google Play that. But for a lot of advanced users (especially those who don't have the choice to go Nexus), custom ROMs are their first taste of the latest and greatest. In the tradition of independent developers and tinkerers delivering the goods, the relatively new OmniROM team has released nightly KitKat builds for no less than fifteen devices.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a runner game with some Portal inspiration, another runner that should please physics buffs, and a game that delivers exactly what it promises. Without further ado:
The Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition started its Android 4.4 update yesterday, a little later than many of its owners would have liked. For those who are eager to get KitKat on their expensive AOSP phones and don't want to wait for the rollout, we've got a download link for the manual OTA update ZIP file.
If you're a regular user of the iHeartRadio service, there's a big update waiting for you in the Play Store. The most useful addition in the new version of the Android app is undoubtedly the expanded control options: you can now pause, play, or advance your streaming music on the lockscreen or the new notification. The notification is even expandable - are you watching this, Pandora?
If you've been hankering for a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the high price for Verizon's contract phone may be off-putting. Wirefly is offering the Verizon Note 3 for 9.99 with a new contract, but Amazon has one-upped them - they've got the same phone-contract combo for just 9.99. The price for both is $249.99 ($50 off Verizon's price) for returning customers.
We had previously heard that the US version of Motorola's shockingly inexpensive Moto G would be headed to the United States in January, a couple of months after some international markets. It looks like Motorola couldn't wait until next year and has started selling the phone on its website. You can order the US version of the GSM phone now, and it's set to ship on December 2nd.
If you've been waiting for your magenta-flavored Galaxy S4 to get its long-awaited Android 4.3 update, check your notification bar now. According to both T-Mobile's official support page and some evidence from the denizens of XDA, the phone is getting its final Jelly Bean release as you read this.
As a tech addict who lives in a remote area, Amazon Prime is a godsend for me: getting stuff delivered to my door quickly when it would otherwise necessitate a three hour round trip is well worth the nominal fee. Amazon hopes you'll agree, and to that end they've now included the ability to sign up for an Amazon Prime free trial right in the official Amazon app.
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
Crescent Moon has been one of the more reliable developers on the Play Store as of late, and their newest game is definitely worth a look from anyone who enjoys a good old-fashioned beat-em-up. Nakama evokes the spirit of 2D side-scrolling fighters like Streets Of Rage or Double Dragon. At least, it's like Double Dragon might have been if you played it at 200 frames per second.
Minecraft-themed shooter? Yeah, we've done that. Minecraft-themed platformer? Yup. Minecraft-themed dungeon crawlers, RPGs, and (of course) zombie games? You bet. Now developer DogByte, of 8-bit Ninja fame, is bringing Minecraft to the racing genre with the cleverly-titled Blocky Roads. For the moment this 2.5D driving game is exclusive to the Amazon Appstore, where you can pick it up for two bucks.