Everything Else
News: Bringing the Shortcut Key to Android Is Easier & Cheaper Than You Think
Taking pictures, sharing your location, and making calls are easy enough to do with an Android device, but for the most part, they all require your screen to be on with some sort of swiping and pressing actions. Dedicated shortcut keys are virtually non-existent on any modern day phone, but their utility is something that can be very useful.
News: Finally! A Keyboard for Smartwatches That Actually Works
There is finally a keyboard for smartwatches that would make James Bond proud, thanks to Minuum Keyboard.
News: Google Goes Gaming with Their ADT-1 Set-Top Box
Google announced the ADT-1—their first foray into dedicted gaming using their Android TV platform—at this year's Google I/O, in hopes to once again take over your living room on the heels of the immensely popular Chromecast.
News: The Oppo Find 7 Phone Will Make You Feel Like a Magician
Little known Chinese phone manufacturer Oppo has just released their latest flagship-level device, called the Find 7.
The Padfone X: The 5-Inch Phone That Doubles as a Tablet
There is a question that has haunted man since the dawn of time: What if you could combine your tablet and your smartphone? Historians around the world have documented wars on the subject, and philosophers and kings who dared ask the question went down in the annals of history.
News: Everything Google Didn't Tell Us About Android "L"
It was the star of the show, but now that Android L has been released for preview to Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 owners, there's a lot that Google didn't tell us about their latest mobile operating system, rumored to be called Lollipop.
News: Android Gear Smartwatches Are Ready for Your Wrists
Google I/O 2014 is currently going on in San Francisco, but as the conference rolls on, the Android Gear smartwatches continue to be one of the hotter topics.
News: Google Now Will Switch Languages on the Fly
The latest update to Google Search—which is Google Now—includes the ability to switch languages on the fly. This means that "spanglish", or any other popular combination of languages, will be understood in context by Google's search engine. The feature is live, so give it a shot for yourself. With recent additions of parking location tracking, bill reminders, and a stellar World Cup tracker, Google Now just continues to get better and better. Let us know what you think of the latest addition ...
News: Android Is Coming for Your Car, TV, & Wrist
This year's I/O was all about bringing Android into the future and onto new devices. On top of announcing the upcoming "L" release of its mobile OS, Google showcased Android Wear, Android Auto, and Android TV.
News: Everything You Need to Know About Android “L”—KitKat's Upcoming Successor
It's the biggest day of the year for all things Google. Their developer conference, dubbed Google I/O, gives us a peak at what the guys at Mountain View have been working on over the course of the past year, and this year, Android was center stage.
News: Yahoo's Aviate Launcher Is Now Open to All & Better Than Ever
When Yahoo! purchased the home screen replacement app Aviate back in January, many were wondering if the internet giant intended to continue development of the launcher or if the transaction was just another acqui-hire.
News: From Search to Music with a Single Click Using Google Now
We love Google Now around here (okay, maybe I do more than others), and today Big G snuck in a nice little functionality when searching for an artist. Exclusive to the US for now, when you enter an artist or band into Search, you'll be presented with listening options for apps you have installed on your device.
News: Samsung Introduces Their Latest Line of Tablets: The Galaxy Tab S Series
On June 12th, Samsung introduced their newest tablet series, the Galaxy Tab S line. These are the thinnest and lightest in Samsung's history, measuring in at only 6.6mm in width and weighing 465g (10.5-inch) and 294g (8.4-inch). Additionally, both have a WQXGA (2560x1600) Super AMOLED display giving these screens both richer and crisper colors.
News: SwiftKey, the Smart Prediction Keyboard, Is Now Free and Better Than Ever
I'll freely admit that I'm a SwiftKey diehard. I've used the keyboard since its inception in 2010, and it was one of the first apps I ever paid for back in the days of my beloved Sprint Evo 4G. Since then, I've kept up with all its beta iterations, and have unabashedly installed it on various friend's devices.
News: Android Exploit Allows Apps to Film You Undetected: Here’s How to Reduce Your Risk
A recent security risk exposed by software engineer Szymon Sidor has raised a few eyebrows amongst the Android community.
Apple vs. Google: 9 New iOS 8 Features Android Already Had
When Apple recently unveiled iOS 8, many of the newly-added features in their mobile OS seemed eerily familiar to Android users. This is probably because the vast majority of these new features have been available in Android for quite some time.
News: Sony Introduces Slimmest 5.3" Smartphone—The Xperia T3
Say hello to the Sony Xperia T3, a light and slim Android smartphone—in fact, it's the thinnest 5.3" smartphone on the market.
News: Moto 360 Design Contest Underway, Offers Free Smartwatch to Winner
With the release date of its round-faced smartwatch drawing near, Motorola is calling on the public to help design clock faces for its new Android Wear device.
FingerSense: The Future of Touch Input
Over the past decade, touch screens have changed the way we interact with our electronic devices. Gone are the days of clicking and pecking at keyboards, with these gestures replaced by swipes, taps, and long-presses on most of our newer devices. From the early years spent swapping out vaccuum tubes and reading light indicators, human interaction with computers has been constantly evolving. Can Qeexo's FingerSense usher in the next era in manual input?
News: Google Camera Update Adds a Self-Timer, Fisheye Effect, 16:9 Photos, & More
Just over a month ago, Google made its camera app available to all devices running Android 4.4 and higher. Originally exclusive to Nexus devices, the app got a UI overhaul and a new Lens Blur mode, but lost some features in the transition.
Data Breach: Spotify Users Need to Update Their Android App Right Now
Adobe, eBay, and iCloud have been hacked...now add Spotify to that list. The company has stated that on May 27th, they became aware of "some unauthorized access to [their] systems and internal company data" but that "only one Spotify user's data has been accessed and this did not include any password, financial or payment information."
The Nexus Killer: OnePlus One Phone Review
A month ago, we showed you what I, and many around the web, dubbed the "Nexus Killer". That device is the OnePlus One, a low-priced, high-powered, CyanogenMod-run Android device.
News: Xposed Installer Gets New Features & UI in Massive Update
Over the weekend, rovo89 and the guys behind the wildly-popular Xposed Framework released a huge update. Leaving practically no UI element untouched, this new version brings a lot of polish and functionality to the revolutionary root softModding tool.
Game Changer: Cider Will Let You Run iOS Apps Natively on Android
I love Android, and I think its apps are great—the polish that came with the Ice Cream Sandwich update truly put Android design on the map. That being said, one of the more frequent complaints from iOS fans continues to be that apps just "run smoother" and "look better" on iOS than they do Android.
News: HTC-Built Nexus Tablet & Android TV Leaked in Latest Changelog
Veering from common practice, XDA commenter, "the_commenter", discovered a changelog for the upcoming version of Android 4.4.3 tucked away on Google's servers.
News: Leaked Image Suggests the Sony Xperia Z2 May Be Headed to Verizon
The international hit Xperia Z2 may be headed to Verizon if a posted, and quickly erased, image is any indication. Take this information with a grain of salt—I certainly am—but this could be Sony's entrance into the non-GSM realm. The image above was posted to Sony's Xperia Google+ page, and very quickly removed. Compared to the Z2 that's currently on the international market (below), we can see that not only has the Sony logo shifted to the bottom, but a Verizon logo rests squarely along the...
News: Google Now Will Automatically Remember Where You Parked
The latest update to Google Search, which is rolling out right now, brings automatic parking spot pinning through its Google Now platform.
The Nexus Killer: Your Next Android Phone
After lots of waiting and anticipation, the OnePlus One Android smartphone has been unveiled, and it's ready to take down the Nexus.
Update: Google's Official Camera with Photo Sphere Is Available for All Android KitKat Devices
Update: May 7, 2014: Google's Camera has seen its first update, with a small yet important addition baked into the app—the ability to take pictures while recording a video. Now, when in video mode, simply tap on the screen to take a picture, while your recording continues as normal. The update to version 2.1.042 is set to hit today, but if you haven't yet received it, apply it manually by downloading the apk here.
News: Dropbox Releases Two New Apps to Help Corral Your Emails & Pictures
Dropbox, the cloud backup tool that is a mainstay on many of our devices, has added two companion apps to its service. Earlier today, we showed you a glimpse into a new testing version of the Gmail app, with features like pinning and snoozing to keep your inbox in check. Now, Dropbox has released Mailbox for Android, about a year after they purchased the company and its iOS app, with a simple goal: taming your inbox.
News: New Google Calendar & Gmail Apps May Be Just Around the Corner
Google I/O may still be a couple of months away, and although we don't expect anything groundbreaking—no new Android versions, just fixes to KitKat—we could be treated to some new apps. No, not Pokémon inspired Maps, rather new versions of Google's Calendar and Gmail apps.
News: Twitter (Sorta) Buys a Lock Screen
Earlier this morning, Twitter announced (through a tweet, naturally) that it has acquired Cover, roughly a minute after Cover made the same announcement. Cover Lock Screen, a lockscreen replacement app, has been vastly popular during its first year. The app places relevant shortcuts on your lockscreen that adapt to your habits, so whether you're at home, work, or in the car, you'll find the apps you use the most in these situations readily available for you. For more information on Cover, inc...
News: Everything You Need to Know About the New Xposed Installer (Version 2.5)
Allowing us to easily get features that would otherwise be available only through flashing mods and custom ROMs, Xposed Installer has been a godsend since its development, simplifying the sometimes tasking and potentially harmful process of changing the core components of Android's operating system.
News: Google Beat Apple in the Next-Gen Smartwatch Race—And It Looks Incredible
Watch out Samsung (and you too, Pebble, Sony and the still unrealized Apple), your hold on the smartwatch market is about to get a lot less firm. Announced today, Google has released Android Wear, their platform for developing smartwatches, along with a preview of the Moto 360 smartwatch from Motorola.
News: Google Releases "Dogfood" YouTube App to Google Play
If you watched a YouTube video on your Android device today, you may may noticed something just a little different. If you haven't, go check out the app in your drawer or homepage. Google today pushed out an update to their YouTube app, but by all accounts, it was never meant to hit the public. This is labeled a dogfood build, which is a term used to describe products going through in-house testing, in effect "eating their own dogfood".
News: Google Play Celebrates Its Second Birthday with Limited Time Deals
Today Google Play turns 2, and it's celebrating by offering deals for a selection of apps, books, magazines, movies, and music. The deals certainly aren't "door busters", but they're deals nonetheless. While a few games have been included in the promotion, the discounts are mainly on in-app purchases, so they're not readily identifiable. And if you've been dying to grab the Grumpy Cat book but thought four bucks was just a tad too much, head to Google Play and grab it for two bucks while it's...
Final Release: Upgrade Your EVO 4G LTE to Android 4.3 Right Now
All you Sprint customers still rocking the HTC EVO 4G LTE got some good news last night. Per Martin Fichter, a US Vice President at HTC, the once flagship Sprint device has been issued a final update, taking the device from Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to Android 4.3 (Jellybean). While not the latest Android version, this update also carries the upgrade to Sense 5. As the company stated in their Reddit AMA, HTC will continue to update their flagship devices to the latest Android versions ...
News: Samsung Confirms KitKat Upgrade for 14 Galaxy Devices
Confirming earlier leaks, today Samsung USA released an official a list of Galaxy devices that will receive an update to the latest version of Android, KitKat (Android 4.4).
News: Set Rotating Wallpapers of Flickr Images, Instagrams, Tumblr Pics, & More for Your Android Device
Last week, we covered a new, open-source live wallpaper (LWP) called Muzei, and less than a week later we have no less than twenty beautiful add-on extensions to the app.
News: Google Sells Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 Billion
Google announced that they are selling Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion, seemingly marking the end of their partnership that began 19 months ago.